Pulchritudinous
by sastars429
Summary: To everyone but Matt, she was just a jinx.  But to him, she was like… burnt pie.  You know, a little rough and unappealing around the edges, but still perfect on the inside.  And maybe that was how he liked it; or maybe he'd just lost his mind. MattxOC.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note.**

**Hello divine readers!  
>This is my new MattxOC story, and I hope you enjoy it. There'll be some Mello in here, and of course a bit of Near, and some L too, but it focuses around MattxOC.<strong>

**The Kira case does not play in until later.**

**This is the prologue, so it is shorter than other chapters. I will be updating every week Friday 3:00 PM central time (assuming that I'm punctual), or anywhere in the Friday vicinity.**

**Any advice, criticism, ideas, or praise is welcome.  
>I'm not your mom so flame if you want; but trust me, it is really getting you nowhere.<br>Thanks much!**

**Please review and enjoy!**

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><p>Pulchritudinous<p>

"Prologue"

_Goodbye, _Mail thought to himself as he looked out the window of the small plane he was riding in, _Goodbye Ashwick County._

Mail looked towards the man who was sitting several seats away. Mail had purposely chosen a seat several seats away from the balding man. Mail knew that he should be grateful to the man, after all he was the one who was finally taking him away from the wretched town, but he just couldn't decide if he trusted the man or not, trust was something he'd struggled his whole life with. His father was the one and only Father Jeevas – or Father Elijah, the famous pastor of the small but religious Ashwick County. He saved cats from trees, children from fires, tended to the sick, donated to the poor, fed the hungry, and even sang for the church choir a time or two. He did everything but raise his pagan son.

Or, that's what Mail wanted everyone to believe. It was easier to be a pagan in the religious town than try to live up to the expectations the townspeople set for him – having a father like that and all. His father was kind to him, that's for sure, but it was only because he was already such a benevolent person. To Elijah Mail was just another townsperson, not his son. He also blamed Mail for the death of his beloved wife, who had died giving birth to Mail, but he never let it show.

Elijah had died a much less glorified death compared to his wife. Mail's father had been gruesomely struck to death by lightning after trying to evacuate people into the storm shelters during a particularly rough thunder storm. Mail of course, had been sitting at home in the cellar, playing on his DS.

At first, the townspeople ignored Mail. They grieved for Elijah Jeevas, but they pretended that they didn't know that Mail was his son. Mail continued to live inside the house, and no one came to retrieve him. No child services, no long-lost family members (Mail's family had consisted of him, his father, and his mother) – nothing. At first he found it extremely odd, he knew that somebody _had _to know about his existence, but when the bills still came and there was no source of income, Mail turned to the only thing he was good at – hacking.

At first he just bugged online transactions, not daring to steal more than five dollars at a time. However, over time five dollars stopped being enough. Bigger and bigger bills came, and eventually he devised a plan. He was going to steal from one of the richest companies he could think of – Microsoft. He spent weeks practicing; he thought that nothing bad could come out if it. He'd never had any sort of trouble hacking _anything_; everything was despicably easy for him. Plus, he was only going to steal ten-thousand dollars – that would have lasted him a long time, right? Anyways, if he pulled it off successfully, he could always just do it again.

Until of course he typed in the wrong number. Just a few more zeros was all, right? Surely a number that by definition meant _nothing _couldn't hurt him, right? In his defense, he had been extremely nervous the night of hacking into Microsoft's funds and had been working for hours, and when he found out he had stolen ten _million _dollars he panicked. He couldn't turn on the news without hearing about it; the _Federal Bureau of Investigation_was even getting involved. And when even they couldn't solve it, they called in their last resort. L. The world's _greatest _detective – and that's when Mail started to panic. So he did what any eleven-year-old would try to do, he tried to make it right. He hacked back into Microsoft and tried to return all the money, but he didn't know L had been watching.

The next day when what seemed like hundreds of S.W.A.T. vehicles hoarded around Mail's residence, he panicked. He wanted to hide but when he sat under the table he quickly realized that he wasn't concealed at all. He was about to run for the back door, hoping that the police would hold their fire or something – he _was _only a kid, when the door opened suddenly.

To his utter surprise, only a single man walked through the door. He was tall as far as Mail could tell, but he held himself in a slouched position that greatly reduced his height. He had shaggy black hair and didn't wear shoes or socks.

"Hello?" Mail asked weakly, covering his face, "I-I'm sorry," he stuttered, "I didn't mean to. I returned it all, I promise. P-please," he hurried, trying to get the words out of his mouth all at once, "J-just take me away from here."

"My suspicions were correct then," the man said, taking a step towards him, "It was a risky assumption, I was only twelve percent certain," the man mused, "But I'm glad I took it."

Mail looked up cautiously and took the man's outstretched hand, and together they left his father's house. Mail couldn't put it into words, but he somehow felt eternally loyal to the man who called himself L. He clung to L, the world-famous detective, through all of his trials as L explained that Mail was simply a child whose intelligence had been neglected.

The court considered Mail, being only a minor, and offered to let him be free of any charges as long as L would find a place where his intelligence could flourish in a constructive way that was a benefit to society. L immediately jumped at the idea, and when he offered Mail a new life at an orphanage christened Wammy's House, Mail couldn't refuse.

L went on to explain about Wammy's and how he would be given a new name to go by – Matt (one L had personally picked). L had explained that Wammy's was a place specially designed to cater to his intelligence and talents.

And that was why he was on the plane, although he trusted L with his life, he was unsure of the balding man, but if L said it was okay to trust the man then he presumed it was. When they landed he was immediately escorted to a black car which was to take him to Wammy's.

Mail wasn't entirely sure of leaving his old life behind, but the court had stated that either he goes to an institution where his talents could grow constructively, or he would go to a juvenile detention center. He still had a lot of questions that L had carefully avoided; but the question that weighted most on his mind was why nobody came to retrieve him when his father had died.

"I don't know why," L had said to him, but Mail knew he was lying. L rarely didn't know something, and if he didn't he always had a theory in mind.

Mail shook his head and pushed the thought out of his mind, _I can't think that the only person I trust is a liar, _he thought to himself, focusing on the scenery outside of the car window, _L wouldn't lie, _he convinced himself.

When the car arrived Mail immediately buried his face into his DS, hoping for some sort of comfort from the handheld. When he reached the door to the orphanage the lid of his DS was closed on his fingers by a foreign hand. He looked up to see a black-haired girl dressed in a pink summer dress.

"Video games are for losers," she said, snatching the DS. Mail didn't say anything – too nervous to open his mouth without invitation, "So what's your name?" she asked.

"Er… um, Matt I guess," he replied shyly.

"Well, my names Linda," she said brightly, "You're new, aren't you? I guess you belong to me now," she said cheerfully, grabbing his hand and dragging him off into his 'new life'. But, just as she was about to drag him into the door he noticed a pair of amber eyes gazing at him from behind a bush.

_Plea__s__e let me survive this new place__, _he prayed silently before being forcefully pulled through the doorway.

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><p>"<em>Gnawing on the prey, I think about you some. Where to put you?" – Non-Photo Blue, Pinback<em>

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><p><strong>Please review!<strong>

**Goodbye!**

**Sastars429.**


	2. The Pianist

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note.  
><strong>

**Wow, what a wonderful first week! SOO many alerts/favorites. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, because the last chapter was well... just the beginning... tehee.**

**Thanks to all of my reviewers, you keep me going!  
>starslayer11, Lackadaisical Willow, ruristorm15, and Kirikatana.<strong>

**Review! It means TONS.**

**In this chapter we discover the meaning of the crazy word that is the title.  
>Oh, and if you were a little poop and dictionary'd it, well, you're a step ahead of everyone else!<br>But, those who didn't, well, that's good too.**

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><p>Pulchritudinous<p>

"The Pianist"

Matt swallowed hard. Today was judgment day – the day that all the orphans in the entire orphanage discovered their status. More importantly, it was his _first _judgment day; it had only been a week since he arrived at the orphanage. He didn't want to be first, which he presumed was highly unlikely (considering having Near in the orphanage), because that's who Mello, the school bully he'd only heard of through word-of-mouth, targeted. But, he most certainly didn't want to be last, because that's who everybody else targeted. He was fairly popular in his opinion, he had quite a few friends, and had his choice of tables to sit at during lunch, but today that could all stop. He didn't dare believe for a second that his friends weren't shallow; he knew they were – because he was too. Shallow people had to stick together.

He shoved his hands in his pockets harshly, trying to look cool. A few moments later a pair of familiar arms snaked around his.

"Hey," sounded the annoyingly high pitched voice of Linda, "You look nervous."

"That noticeable?" He asked, trying to appear to be calm.

"Nobody walks around with their fists in their pockets like that. Unless you're a rapist or something," She joked evilly, "What're you even nervous about?"

"Placing last," He said weakly. Linda laughed harshly in return. "What?" He asked bitterly, wanting to wipe that smug look clean off her face.

"You won't place last," She said, glancing around, "Nobody ever places below _Jinx_."

"Jinx?"

"Some ugly, snot-nosed, and not to mention _stupid _girl that _somehow _got into Wammy's," Linda scoffed, "Nobody has any idea why she's still here."

"Wammy's is supposed to be the most prestigious house of learning out there, why hasn't she been booted or something yet?" Matt asked, lightly concerned.

"Nobody knows. Her test scores are _below average_. Wammy's is supposed to be reserved for those of Extreme and Exponential Excellence."

"And you're a load of extreme and exponential bitterness," came a small but sturdy voice from behind them.

Matt turned around to see the weirdest and most outlandish girl he'd ever seen. She had short, spiky black hair, and tan skin. On top over her head she wore a pair of orange goggles, and on her hands she wore black gloves, which were just barely visible under her long-sleeve Transformers shirt that was clearly more than a few sizes too big. She wore white canvas shoes, but it was hard to tell under all of the writing and drawing that had been done to them. Lastly she wore a pair of jeans that appeared to have a pattern that looked like _bricks_ on them, but, something about her itched at Matt's memory. When his gaze finally met her golden eyes he remembered – she must be the girl he'd seen in the bushes his first day at Wammy's.

"Hi, Jinx," Linda said cruelly, "I see you didn't even _bother _to clean up for this," Linda said, motioning to her dirty face, "But why should you? This isn't even important to you, you'll just place last. Again."

"_Linda_, it's good to know that you'll be saving Santa the trip again this year," The girl greeted coldly, "And, I didn't 'bother to clean up for this'," The girl air-quoted, "Because I'm _e__leven__ and a half years old_. I'm playing outside, having fun, and enjoying youth, _like I should be._ I'm not trying to act like I'm seventeen, because, at least I _know_ I don't have the boobs for it." She said, poking Linda's chest. Linda stood speechless; she was _never _insulted by anybody else.

"You're _audacity _towards me is _insulting!_" She screeched back like a harpy, and Matt flinched.

"Good," the girl huffed, "Then it's doing its job." She went to turn away, but then noticed Matt standing there. "Hi, you must be new," She said reaching a gloved hand toward him, "My name's Skye, but you can call me Jinx – batteries not included."

Matt went to shake her hand, but was jerked back by Linda. "And that's _exactly _what you are, a jinx," She said, flashing an evil glare at Jinx, "Come on Matt, let's go, before she _rubs off on you._"

Jinx simply smiled at Linda, placed her hand on her arm and began to rub. She then looked at her palm and held it out to Linda, "Oh yes," she remarked quietly, "You better back away Linda," she smiled viciously, "Or I'll put my rubbings on you."

Linda scoffed, staring at Jinx as if she were trash, "Am I supposed to be scared?"

Jinx shrugged, "I guess it's not potent enough," she said, licking her glove and holding her hand out to Linda, "How about now?" She asked, reaching further to touch Linda's arm.

Linda let out a girlish scream and ran away, leaving Matt to stand in front of Jinx awkwardly. Jinx smiled a toothy smile and turned on her heel, "See you around then," she called, walking away.

Matt was standing, rooted in his spot, when Linda finally came back a few minutes later, "Roger posted the rank list!" she told him excitedly, pulling him through the crowd. She quickly marched to the front of the crowd, despite this displeasure of those she shoved, and checked the list.

"Yes!" She cried happily, "I went from sixteenth to fifteenth!" She turned around flashing Matt a grin, "All that studying finally paid off," She said turning back around to check the list. She flipped through the papers and got to the bottom one. "What do you know Matt, you're not last!" She said, flashing a mean grin.

"Who is?" He asked stupidly.

"You're lucky you're pretty Matt, because you sure aren't that smart," She said cold-heartedly, "It's Jinx of course." She finished, rolling her eyes.

"Oh," He replied, "Then what am I? Second-to-last?"

"Nope, apparently you're not even on this page," She said happily, "Although I'll be shocked if you make it to the first page," She muttered.

"What?" Asked Matt, who was barely listening.

"Nothing," She said sweetly.

"What? There must be a mistake," She said, running her finger along the list of names.

"What do you mean?"

"I've gone through these two pages, and there's no way you could have made the first page on your first exam," She said, looking through the list.

"Well, check the first page," He said.

"I am Matt, but I seriously think they forgot to print your name," She said cautiously, "I mean, I've only got the top ten left and there's no -" She stopped suddenly.

_Oh gee, they forgot to print my name. I scored so low that they didn't even bother to put my name on the damn list, _Matt thought sadly.

A few seconds later there was the sound of paper being ripped. Matt looked up and saw Linda angrily tearing the paper from the wall, which induced a ripple of anger through the remaining students who had yet to see the list.

"Shut up!" She yelled at them, "This damn thing is broken," she said hatefully, marching off. "Come on," She barked at Matt, who followed immediately.

"Where are we going?" Matt asked dumbly.

"Roger's office, your name was printed in the wrong spot." She said rudely.

"How do you know that?" He asked.

"Because there's just no way, Matt," She responded, balling her hands in her pink sweater. "There's just no way,"

She reached an expensive oak door and knocked harshly, and then let herself in. Not hesitating a moment, she marched up to Rogers desk and slammed the list on his table.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Mr. Ruvie," She said sugar-sweet, "But there's been a mistake on this list regarding Matt's name."

Roger slowly put on his glasses and looked at the list, "My my, I am sorry. It appears that you are correct."

"See!" Linda exclaimed, pointing at Matt. "There's no way that he could have made the first page, let alone _fourth _on his _first _exa -" She stopped suddenly when she heard Roger say something.

"What?" She barked at him. Matt sat speechless.

_Fourth?_ He thought, _she was right, there's definitely no way._

"I said, although I'm not surprised you couldn't hear me over your yelling that Matt is actually _third_. I'll change this right away, and I'll have to apologize to Cindy, she thought she placed third again…"

"Who cares about _Cindy_?" Linda howled, "There's no way he placed third! I want a recount, a retest, a re… re-everything!"

"Why can't he have placed third?" asked Roger.

"Because, even _I_ didn't make first list on my first exam!" She said, "It takes hard work! Studying! Discipline!"

"I am sorry to disappoint you, Miss Linda, but you cannot base everybody off of your personal experiences."

Linda was speechless; she opened her mouth a few times to say something, but quickly closed it. She turned around and glowered at Matt, "You'll see," she said venomously, "You'll see being _third _isn't that easy." Then, she turned around and huffed out of Rogers's office.

Matt stood there speechless for a few moments. "Classes today," Roger said to him, "Better get going. And, congratulations on placing third."

Matt left Rogers office silently, keeping his head down as he walked through the hallways, pretending to be fascinated by the maroon carpet.

_How can I have placed third? _He thought to himself, _Linda was right, there's just no way. After the next exam I'll probably drop a whole page… or maybe even two._

Matt's thoughts were cut short when he was ran into and knocked over. "Sorry," He looked up to see a rather tall girl glaring at him.

"Watch it, twerp." The girl said with a surprisingly deep voice, "I don't need you in my life. So get moving before I decide to re-arrange your face."

"Uh, no problem …man." He said, hoping he'd gotten the gender correct. He obviously had, because the boy huffed off in the opposite direction, complaining about somebody named Near, and Matt quickly concluded that it was Mello who he had just run into.

Matt pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket, and checked his schedule. "Great… double math," He sighed hopelessly and walked towards his classroom, hoping he was going the right way.

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><p>The door creaked open loudly, making Matt flinch. Every student in the room turned and looked towards him as he walked through the door, well, all but one. In the back corner of the room sat Jinx, who was staring out the window in a dream-like state, tapping her pencil on the desk rhythmically.<p>

"You're late," the teacher said harshly, gesturing to the only open desk – the one next to Jinx.

"Sorry," Matt said, scurrying to the desk.

"Better late than really late," Jinx said to him casually, before turning back to the window. Matt smiled and focused on the teacher.

"As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted," The teacher said, flashing Matt a look, "Today we'll be learning about square roots in preparation for exponents," Her words caused a groan from the students.

"They're actually fairly simple," She said to the class, "And since most of you already know them, I'm sure it'll be a quick five-minute refresher. As I've said before, a square root is simply a number that produces a specified quantity when multiplied by itself. An example would be the square root of twenty-five, which is five." She said, pausing giving the drowsier looking students a quick warning glance, "Now, who can answer my question: what is the square root of sixty-four?" She paused again, scanning the class. Linda was the first to have her hand raised, and gradually every student followed, all except Jinx and Matt.

"Skylar, do you have the answer to my question?" The teacher asked Jinx.

"I told you to call me Jinx," Jinx replied, not taking her eyes off the window.

"Do you have the answer to my question?" The teacher asked again.

"Nope," Jinx replied casually.

"And why is that?" The teacher replied angrily.

"'Cause I don't know it," Linda's hand got more impatient.

"And why is that?" Mrs. Lipinski asked harshly.

"Because I just don't. Although, you could try Linda, she's practically having a heart attack trying to get you to call on her." Jinx said, taking her eyes off the window to glare at the teacher.

"Could it be because you just don't care to try, Skylar? Or is it merely because you're not smart enough?" Matt noticed Jinx's hands ball up into fists, although her face didn't show her anger anymore.

"I'm sorry I've disappointed you Mrs. Lipinski," Jinx said, her hands releasing, "I'll try harder next time." And, with that, Jinx turned her head back towards the window, and resumed tapping her pencil rhythmically against the desk.

"That's what I needed to hear, Skylar. I'll be seeing you during lunch break, now Linda, what is the answer to my question?"

"Eight, Mrs. Lipinski. It's really rather easy, it's just simple math. You know - things even _average _students could understand."

"Right you are, Linda," said the teacher, smiling.

Suddenly a pencil flew across the room and hit Linda's cheek. Linda immediately engaged in a theatrical performance on how she was in such excruciating pain that she was going to die while Jinx sat giggling in the corner. "Hey teach," she called to the teacher, "Looks like your pet hurt herself! You might want to put 'er down; I hear stupidity is incurable."

The teacher stood in the front of the room, positively fuming. "Jinx," she breathed angrily, "Go to Roger right now! And I expect to see you in detention for the next week!"

"Fine," Jinx breathed, standing up and stretching as if she were going to take a nap, "I'm too mature for these childish games you play anyways," she added, standing up and walking towards the door, "You should really grow up, Mrs. Lipinski, it's not very ladylike to throw things." she said snidely, smirking and skirting out the door.

The rest of the math class was pretty uneventful and boring, and Matt was relieved when class finally let out for their free hour. Today would be the first day that Matt would make his way to the common room without Linda as a trusty escort, so he walked through the hallways trying to remember the turns in the correct order. Wammy's was like a maze, all of the walls, trim and carpeting were the same color, so navigating was a challenge, especially if you were new.

Twice Matt found himself at dead ends, and even more than that he found himself arriving at locked doors and stairwells.

_What was it? _Matt tried to think, _a right, then a left, straight, then another right? No… that can't be right, it's… another left. I'm sure, _He thought, taking another left and arriving at two large French doors, the common room doors. He smiled and pushed the door open, finding himself in a completely different and unexpected room.

The room he found himself in did not have the ugly maroon carpet the common room had, but beautiful bright wooden floors, and a raised circular platform with folding chairs spread in a semi-circle around a music stand. The platform had deep gold curtains on both sides, and on the far back wall was a single black plaque that read: ORCHESTRA ROOM. He glanced around again, and saw to his dismay that the beautiful room was in a slight state of disrepair. The curtains were slightly moldy and musty, and there was a thick layer of dust on all of the furniture. The only light in the room came from a small series of windows placed at the top of the room, but they did not allow much light in because they were covered in ivy.

Matt was about to exit the room when he heard a faint sound off in the distance. He listened carefully, slowly walking toward the back wall, where the sound got slightly louder. Just barely in his earshot, he focused on the sound and continued to inch along the wall until he reached the stage. He carefully stepped onto the stage and inched himself closer to the music, until he found a dark hallway behind the stage. He looked down the hallway and found that very far down the hallway there was a door, half-shut, emitting a faint feathery light that illuminated a part of the dark hallway. Slowly, Matt walked down the hallway, careful not to make a noise until he reached the door.

He carefully craned his neck and peeked through the open crack of the door. Inside the room he found the source of the music – a piano in a very sorry state. He was sure that the piano was once very beautiful, but now its delicate ivory wood was splintering hopelessly. One of the legs had also been broken off and was now only propped up with a small table. He could also tell that the small bench that the composer sat on had been lost many years ago, as the delicate composer was now sitting on a mismatched stool.

But, none of this seemed to matter. The music that was emitting from the piano was so beautiful that even the word beautiful seemed to do it injustice. The way the girl's fingers danced across the keys wasn't as if she were playing music, but somehow as if she were taming the untamable elegant white beast that was the piano. However, Matt noticed, the music was… ugly too. The music twisted emotions into Matt that he had never felt before; it was harsh, cold, and heartless. Matt felt like the sadness that he felt had taken the form of icy serpents, gradually piercing his skin and flowing through his veins. Just as he was sure that he couldn't take the feeling any longer, that the serpents were just about to reach his heart from the path his veins had carved, he found the beauty in the sound.

Warmth and beauty contorted themselves into his veins too, creating the most unusual sensation. Heat and cold, dark and light, beauty and ugly all seemed to collide into some form of twisted beauty that he couldn't understand, but something inside him wanted to. He wanted to understand the music – to understand the feelings that he'd never even imagined a human could feel. He'd never realized how shallow he'd been - how ignorant he'd been to other people. He pressed his body to the door, putting more of his weight on it, desperately attempting to get closer to the sound. The hinges creaked suddenly under his weight and the music stopped. There was a scrambling on the other side of the door, and the dainty composer scurried out of the room through a door on the other side.

Matt burst through the door and tried to call after the running musician, but stopped, realizing that the person was already gone. Matt then walked up the piano, now seemingly ordinary without its muse, and placed his hand upon the worn instrument, reflecting upon the sound he had heard.

Matt was inspecting the top of the piano with curiosity when he noticed it, scrawled on the top of the piano in messy writing was a single written word, followed by a small but delicately drawn heart.

_PULCHRITUDINOUS_.

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><p>"<em>Twirling around in the wake of this beautiful sound, sway with the breeze in three hundred and sixty degrees, yeah, our hearts beat for days like these, soak up the moment and promise you won't let it go," – In Stereo, Summertime's End<em>

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><p><strong><em>Review, review, review!<em>**


	3. Alice in Wonderland

**Disclaimer: Me no own Death Note, or Alice in Wonderland.**

**I'm dumb guys. Seriously. This chapter is late for one reason.**

**I forgot today was Friday. Gosh I'm dumb.**

**I would hit my head against the wall like Dobby in Harry Potter, but uh, I think that'd only make me lose more brain cells which would make me dumber.**

**ANYWAYS, most people have comedic little conversations with the characters prior to the story…**

**Matt, Mello, Jinx, L, Near, random OC, Linda, Light, and the Kira task force: YEAH!**

**No. I've done that for one of my stories and frankly I'm bored of it.**

**Matt, Mello, Jinx, L, Near, random OC, Linda, Light, and the Kira task force: Aww.**

**Shut up.**

**Instead I'm going to try a different method to get you to review each week.**

**THIS WEEK, MY METHOD TO TRY IS:**

**Reverse Psychology.**

**Review! It'll be great. Seriously.**

**Fine, whatever. Don't review. See if I care.**

**REVIEWERS TO THANK:**

**Danke my reviewers,**

**Fezzesandbowtiesarecool, C. Holywell-Black, KiriKatana, and Lackadaisical Willow.**

**THANK YOU so much, you give me inspiration to continue! **

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><p>Pulchritudinous<p>

"Alice in Wonderland"

It was early one morning and Matt lay in bed staring at the ceiling – inspecting the little dots and circles that littered the white canvas. It had been exactly three days since the Orchestra Room. Three days since _the music._

The music was something that he just _could not_ forget. It was an itch that his mind just couldn't seem to scratch. It had been beautiful, but somehow in the most eerie way. In a sense, the music had scared him. But in another way, it was so radiant, so bright… so _beautiful_.

And then there was the word. The single word that had been written on the top of the old withering piano – a word that Matt didn't even dare try to pronounce, but he had memorized the spelling. Pulchritud-

"Yo, Matt," sounded the voice of his roommate, jostling him from his thoughts.

"Er, yeah?" He replied dumbly.

"You're gonna be late for breakfast. It's nine in the resumi'." His roommate said, reaching for the door.

"Wait, Blake," He called after his roommate who turned around, "Do you know how many kids are at Wammys?"

"Uh, last time I checked I think there was two-hundred and fifty-seven or something like that." He said turning around again.

"So, what're the odds of finding one person you think?" Matt asked, inspecting the ceiling again.

"Well, resuming' that you ain't lookin' for yourself, I'd say 'round one in two-fifty-six – or, around four thousandths of a percent."

"Oh," Matt said glumly.

"Why, bro?"

"Well, I was in the Orchestra Room –"

"This place ain't got an Orchestra Room, bro." His roommate said, reaching for the door again.

"Wait – one last thing." Matt said, picking up a slip of paper and scrawling the word on it. "Do you know what this word means?"

"That's a word?" His roommate asked.

"I… I think so." Matt replied staring at the word.

"Well, if it is, Near'd know it. Just look for the white kid."

"Isn't that a bit racist?"

"Not if you know Near," Blake replied, leaving before Matt could ask him another question.

Matt quickly threw on an expensive brand name shirt and some even more pricy jeans, and then quickly stuffed the slip of paper in his pocket as he left for breakfast.

When Matt got to the table at breakfast everything seemed to be normal again. For the past two days Linda has been especially cold to him, and everyone else was making sure not to speak to him in order to avoid her wrath. But today, Linda wasn't glaring at him anymore, and even appeared to have gotten over herself. Everyone else at the table greeted him with smiles and congratulations before turning back to their daily conversations.

"You think she got booted? I haven't seen her for like _three _days." One girl at the table said excitedly.

"Well, what else could've happened?" A boy named James inquired back.

"Well, she'll probably come waltzing in like she owns the place, saying that she was sucked into some netherworld or something totally freaky like that." Linda added disapprovingly.

"Who are we talking about?" Matt asked.

"Jinx of course." Judy, a blonde-haired girl replied. "She's been M.I.A. for three days."

_Three days? _Matt thought to himself, _that was the day of the Orchestra Room…_

"Hey guys," Matt said to the table, "Do you know if this school has an orchestra room?"

"Uh, I don't think so," James replied.

"Definitely not," said Effie, Linda's best friend, "I mean, we'd know about something like that. This school is so lame, it's got nothing interesting."

"I wouldn't be so sure," A small, quiet voice came from the end of the table. "I mean, didn't somebody find a secret room a few weeks ago?"

"Shut up, Maddie," Linda said viciously, "It was just some stupid janitor's closet. We're not supposed to know about those. They're dirty, gross, and just… places where you'd find a_ jinx._"

The table went awkwardly quiet for a few minutes. Linda was especially angry because all the talk around the school was focused on Jinx's disappearance and not her even though she'd just moved up a rank.

"Uhm," Matt said, trying to casually break the silence, "Does anyone know where I might find Near?"

"Near?" Linda spat, "Why are you looking for him?"

"Well, uh," Matt replied awkwardly.

"He'll probably be in his room," James replied, glaring at Linda. "What is up with you? I'm sick of your attitude lately – you're acting bat-shit crazy." He told her truthfully.

"It's just Jinx," Linda said rubbing her temples, "She's been… especially screwed up lately."

"Uhm, where's his room?" Matt asked quietly.

"I think it's on the third floor, and I _think _its room number three-hundred and sixty-eight. You'll know for sure if there's a blonde boy banging on the door." Maddie replied calmly.

"Thanks," He said getting up and dumping his tray.

"What is up with him?" Victoria said when he was out of earshot. "He's been acting weird these past three days."

"Yeah," Linda said looking up and watching Matt exit, "Three days ago…"

* * *

><p><em>Did she say three sixty-eight? Or was it three sixty-seven?<em> Matt asked himself as he was walking around the third floor, just as he was passing room three-hundred and sixty-four he heard yelling coming from the door.

"Something is seriously wrong with you!" Yelled a deep voice he recognized from judgment day.

A low muffled sound sounded afterwards followed by a thump. Matt leaned closer to the door to hear.

"Don't get to comfortable, _number one_," the voice he decided was Mello's said harshly, "Because you won't hold that spot for long." Just then, the door slammed open, knocking Matt to the other side of the hallway.

"Didn't I just threaten you a few days ago?" Mello said, picking Matt up by his shirt collar, "Or are you just some sort of masochist? Stalking me and hoping I'll beat your pathetic body senseless?"

"N-no," Matt stuttered, trying not to look into Mello's eyes.

"Then what is it?" Mello yelled.

"I-I came here to ask N-near a q-q-question." He stuttered.

"The sheep?" Mello asked furiously.

"Y-yeah," Matt replied weakly.

"Whatever," Mello replied, throwing Matt to the ground. "Ruin your life. See if I care." And then he stalked off without another word. Matt slowly got up to his knees and knocked on Nears open door.

"Come in," came a shockingly neutral voice.

Matt slowly crawled through the door opening, still out of breath. When he turned his head to look at Near he was shocked at what he saw. Blake had been right, Near was _all white._ His skin was pale white, and so was his hair. His pajamas matched and so did his neat white socks.

"Once you're done gawking at my appearance you may ask your question." He said again, slowly stacking pristine white dice on the floor.

"O-oh, yeah," He said, standing up quickly. "I-I was just wondering if you knew the definition and p-pronunciation of this word," He said shoving a hand into his pocket and pulling the piece of paper out. Once he had it in his hand he shoved it towards Near.

Near reached a white hand towards Matt and grasped the slip of paper. He took a glance at it and handed it back.

"Pulchritudinous. It means beautiful, pronounced pull-crit-ude-in-us." He said simply, continuing to stack his dice neatly.

"T-thanks," Matt replied, leaving the room.

"Congratulations on placing third as well," Near said calmly, as Matt left.

"Yeah, congrats on placing first," He said back, and Near didn't reply.

Matt paced around the orphanage dazed for a long time. Today was Saturday, no classes. This also technically meant nothing to do. Matt was suddenly jerked out of his thoughts by a small tap on his shoulder.

He turned around and was suddenly attacked. A small fist met his face, and he fell to the floor. He instinctively reached a hand there and rubbed his jaw. "What the hell?" He asked looking up to see the pink-clad attacker, Linda.

"What is up with you?" She asked, stepping on his chest.

"Ngh," He groaned, "What do you mean?" He said between breaths.

She placed more weight on his chest, causing him to lose his breath, "What do you mean 'what do I mean'?" She spat, "You're acting seriously messed up, and you're going to tell me what's up." She said placing more weight on his chest.

"I think you're going to kill me," He gasped.

"That can be arranged," She said cruelly, grinding her foot into his chest, "So start talking. You've been acting weird ever since Jinx disappeared. Did she get to you?" She said, impersonating a sense of fake concern.

"N-no," Matt gasped, "She's a weirdo. A freak. Just. Get. Off. Of me!" He gasped. Linda considered a moment and released. Matt immediately rolled over to his side and hugged himself.

"You're weak," She said, laughing harshly, "But if you keep up this freak-act," She said, rolling him over onto his back, "Then I'll see to it that you die… in more ways than one." Matt slowly stood up and looked at her.

"What's been up with you lately?" He asked.

"Look Matt," She said facing him, eyeing him viciously, "I can either be your best friend or your worst enemy. You better decide quickly before I decide for you."

"I want to be your friend," He said numbly.

"Good choice, Mattie," She said chirpily, snaking her arm around his, "Let's go to the common room, I think there's a shortcut through the courtyard." She said leading him outside.

Matt was utterly confused as he absent mindedly listened to Linda talk. Suddenly her grip became a vise cutting off the circulation in his arm.

"Linda," He started but then realized that Jinx was walking toward them.

"Hi Matt," She greeted happily, "Linda." She said in acknowledgement.

"Jinx, I see you're out and about again," Linda paused, "What happened? They leave your cage door open again?"

Jinx smiled casually, "Such a shame isn't it? It's a shame that that shirt shrunk in the drier, or did you just get fatter?"

Matt stood awkwardly, unsure of what to do. It was possible that Jinx's appearance got more outrageous, but the gloves and goggles still remained. Today she was wearing rainbow pants paired with a white tank top and a black sweatshirt. She had exchanged her canvas shoes for black combat boots and looked pretty intimidating to Matt… well aside from the rainbow pants.

_I mean, they're even kind of cute on her, _he thought absentmindedly before shaking himself out of it. Stress must just be getting to him.

Linda growled, "You know, I would say that out of the two of us, you got the brains and I got the beauty… but you don't even have that."

"Funny," Jinx replied, "Because I wouldn't even say you got the beauty." The two girls glared at each other for a few minutes.

"Go on Matt," Linda said quietly, not taking her eyes off Jinx, "Go look pretty in the common room. I'll be in there in a few moments." Matt took his opportunity and stole away as fast as he could to the common room.

"Poor boy," Jinx said, once he had left. "Has no idea that he's dealing with a real live harpy."

"Oh you shut up," Linda replied, "I would tell you to stay away from him, but I know you'll never have a chance."

"Well at least we know there's no chance of personal growth," Jinx said, smiling. "You'll always be immature little kids."

"Oh there's plenty of personal growth," Linda said back.

"You do know that a hard-on doesn't count as personal growth?" Jinx said, grinning and turning away.

"You're disgusting!" Linda screeched, stared wide-eyed after her, not believing what she just said, "I'm telling Roger on you!" She called back. Jinx didn't turn around and just kept walking away.

Linda stormed into the common room a few minutes later, glaring at Matt who was sitting off to a corner, looking unsure of himself.

"You," she called scarily, "Here," she finished, beckoning with a pale finger. Matt walked cautiously over.

"Sup?" He asked, keeping a few feet of distance.

"We're going to spend the day together," she said calmly, Matt gulped. "I need to keep an eye on you," she said faking a nice tone, "You know, to make sure Jinxey doesn't talk to you."

After a few hours of being attached to Linda at the hip Matt had finally earned her approval again, and in return she let him on a longer leash by letting him spend time with her while they were in a group. Around one in the afternoon, the six or seven of them headed to the playground.

It was sunny and cheery outside so the group decided to play hide-and-seek, Matt, recognizing an opportunity when he saw it, dashed to the edges of the playground and hid behind a tree – hoping Linda wouldn't find him.

For a few moments he panted, trying to catch his breath. He had run faster than he was sure humanly possible to his hiding place. After a few minutes he sighed and wiped away the sweat on his forehead, closing his eyes for a few minutes.

"You know I can see you, right?" sounded a voice from somewhere around Matt. His heart skipped a beat and he died a little inside.

"Okay, Linda," He sighed, "I wasn't running away or anything… I was just hiding… you got me."

"No silly," There was a shuffling noise from above him, "the witch is still looking for you in the playground." Suddenly, there was a rustle of leaves and from above dropped a girl upside-down, her knees latched around a branch. "It's just me."

Matt's heart stopped when he saw Jinx hanging in front of him by her knees. "Y-you," he panted, "You gotta go," he tried to get the words out of his mouth faster; "She can't see me with you!"

"That is no way to talk to a lady," She said, smiling, revealing a tooth that was slightly pointed, Matt also noticed that her seemingly normal black sweatshirt wasn't normal. Its hood had fallen over her head from being upside-down, to reveal small, pointed, black cat ears. "Besides, we haven't been formally introduced," she added.

"Yeah we have, you're Jinx," He said, checking over his shoulder for Linda.

"Batteries not included." She added disappointedly. "Anyways, we're only sixty-four percent introduced."

"W-what?" He asked turning to face her again.

"We're not one-hundred percent introduced, Matthew. The first time we met Linda dragged you away before you got to introduce yourself."

"W-well, I'm Matt, and that doesn't make any sort of sense. Shouldn't you introducing yourself to me mean that we're fifty-percent introduced?"

"Nope," Jinx said pulling herself to the top of her branch again, "People are only forty-six percent introduced when one introduces themselves, and then ninety-two percent introduced when they have both introduced themselves."

"Er, why is that?" Matt asked, wondering what was wrong with Jinx.

"Because knowing someone's name doesn't mean you're introduced," She replied simply, walking on her hands along the branch.

"And why not? That doesn't make any sense…"

"Because, simply knowing someone's name doesn't mean you _know _them. The other four percent, or eight percent, comes from what other people say. I'm sure you've heard that girl, Linda," Jinx said, pausing to cough a naughty word, "Give you the basics about me, and from my time in the bushes I've heard the basics about you. We're now one-hundred percent introduced."

"Oh, uhm, cool," Matt breathed, unsure of himself. "I guess," He added.

"Oh, quick, she's coming," Jinx said, disappearing into the branches. Linda rounded the side of the tree at just that second.

"Hi Linda," Matt began.

"What're you doing all the way over here?" Linda barked.

"Uhm, hiding?" Matt asked, "Weren't we playing hide-and-seek?"

"Yeah," Linda acquiesced, looking up at the branches where leaves were ruffling, "Is some retarded bird up there?" She asked bitterly.

"I wish," Matt replied, and at that moment a barely audible 'Oops' could be heard followed shortly by a girl that came tumbling down the branches and fell directly in front of Linda.

"Oomph," Jinx said, rubbing her head and staring up at Linda.

"So you _have _been spending your time with this riff-raff," Linda scoffed, "I should've known, you were too stupid to realize what was good for you, Matt." Linda said turning around, "You can officially declare yourself _kicked out_." She finished turning and walking away bitterly. Matt looked at Jinx and nearly cursed.

"Well, Alice," Jinx said scarily, "Welcome to Wonderland." She finished, smiling a very large, very annoying smile.

Matt didn't know much about surviving socially, he never did, but he knew now that it was suddenly going to get _a lot _harder.

He thought for a moment or two, he could handle them, they were just a bunch of shallow, stuck up kids. Then he stole a glance at the girl squirming on the ground reciting her will, claiming that her recent fall was fatal and that she was about to die…

And he quickly changed his mind.

* * *

><p>"<em>It's a hard life to live, so live it well, I'll be your friend and not in pretend," – Ooh La, The Kooks<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Review if you want. I don't care. I don't NEED you.<strong>

**Review anyway.**


	4. Adventure 0 point 01

**So, I'm dumb. Like seriously. I wrote out this long monologue thing to begin my authors notes, but, I clicked a button.**

**And it's all GONE.**

**Damn technology. **

**In short; I'm late because I attended my school's homecoming. We haven't won in 32 years. Guess what, we won. I know. It sounds stupid when I summarize it, but just believe that I had a really great monologue.**

**ANYWAY;**

**So, I'll just get straight to thanking the reviewers.**

**Unimpressed, Shibo26, Frogata (LOL at your Linda), Merci Monsieur, x-Beyond-B, and KiriKatana.**

**THANKS MANY FOR REVIEWING MORE THAN ONCE.**

**And you guys probably think I'm crazy for thanking "Unimpressed", but actually they've helped. I guess I need to add a little spark of individuality to this story.**

**IN RESPONSE TO A REVIEW: I wanted to note that Matt will be gaming soon. As another review said; Matty-kinz will undergo major character changes throughout the story. Y'know, I want to see him grow.**

**I've been thinking about that a lot lately. A lot of story have little personal growth with their characters. I tell you something, I was a BIG BULLY when I was a kid.**

**And now I give out free candy to kids...**

**Nevermind.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note.**

**MY METHOD TO GET YOU TO REVIEW THIS WEEK IIIIISSSSS:  
><em>Bribery<em>:**

**Hey, you, little reader, if you review I promise it'll be worth your while.**

**I'm talking major income here...**

**Like five cookies, AT LEAST.**

**Do it.**

* * *

><p>Pulchritudinous<p>

"Adventure 0.01"

"You're going so _slowly,_" Jinx whined. "If you don't hurry up I might die before we reach the nurse's office!" She pouted.

"Well maybe," Matt growled, "I could go faster if I _didn't have to carry you!_"

"But, Mattie," Jinx smiled, "I can't walk. My legs are broken."

"You fell like three feet," Matt replied harshly, "You scraped a knee. You're barely bleeding,"

"But the nurse has Mickey Mouse Band-Aids!" The girl cried, "If I don't get one I'll just die!"

"Really?" Matt asked disbelievingly, "You're making me carry you across this hell-bound school so you can get a BAND-AID?" He finished, dropping her to the ground.

"Not just any Band-Aid," she said weakly, "A Mickey Mouse Band-Aid," She finished, slowly closing her eyes and falling limp.

"Oh look," Matt sighed, "She's dead. Good riddance," he finished, pretending to walk away. Once he had reached the end of the corridor he peeked around the corner and looked. Jinx was still lying limp. He slowly walked back to her, "Come on," he pleaded, "I'll carry you."

Still no movement. Matt sighed and sat down next to her. "You know," he said calmly, "I never pegged you as such a weak girl. You can't even handle falling out of a tree. It's really such a shame; you're no stronger than _Linda._"

Jinx opened one amber eye, "What 'chu say, boy?" she asked warningly.

"I said that you're just as weak as Lin-" Matt was cut off as a cold, hard fist met his face. "This is evoking some serious déjà-vu," Matt said solemnly, "What is up with girls and punching my face? My _beautiful, beautiful _face!" He said falling to the floor and fake-crying.

"It's because you're mean!" Jinx retorted, "And to think I nearly declared us official friends!" She hollered, "Why did you even hang out with that vile woman anyway?"

"Why didn't you?" Matt asked, "It's the easiest way to survive in this wretched school! And plus, who said I agreed to be your friend?"

"What do you mean _survive?_" Jinx screamed back, ignoring his question.

"I mean, now that I'm stuck with… stuck with… stuck with _a creep like you_, life is going to get monumentally more difficult for me! If we were in a zombie apocalypse _right now_ and we were being chased by tons of crazy zombies, I'd trip you!"

"You got that off a poster, Matt! And, please, while you were thinking it over I'd trip you!" She yelled back.

"Who said I'd have to think it over?" Matt charged back.

"ME!" Jinx shouted back at him, "But I wouldn't hesitate _one second _before tripping you!"

"You're such a witch!" he screamed at her, "I have no idea why I'm still hanging out with you!"

"You don't _have _to spend time with me, Matt," Jinx cried, tears forming in her eyes, "You don't have to do any charity work for me!" She finished, running away. Matt sat for a minute, too shocked to speak.

"Jinx," he called after her, standing up, "Come back! I didn't mean it!" He followed; he had to, it _was_ better to have _a _friend than no friend at all… even if it was a fundamentally screwed up friend who probably wouldn't hesitate to push him off a cliff if he ever _really_ crossed her.

* * *

><p>Matt sat down in the middle of a bare hallway. Admittedly, he was lost. <em>Again. <em>He buried his face in his hands, the last time he was lost he'd found something truly wonderful; but this time? Not so much as a crumb on the floor to look at.

He bit his lip and sat for another few minutes. Would it be three days before he saw the feline-like girl again? He stood up and continued to walk down the hallway. He was about to start shouting, hoping someone would come find him and lead him somewhere else – anywhere else, when he heard a banging sound.

He looked up and saw that the air ducts were shaking. He moved to the other side of the hallway and watched and then suddenly the banging stopped. He sat for a moment, wondering if the air was just on high for a few moments when he noticed it. Just slightly in front of him, just above his head, the duct was shaking. And then it began to dent. Only a fraction of a second passed before the unholy sound of ripping metal filled the air, Matt just barely managing to jump out of the way, followed by a girl who came plummeting out of the silver vent and then crashed on the floor.

"Oomph," she said painfully.

"Is falling your specialty?" Matt asked, reaching his hand out to her, "And I'm really sorry. Would you like a ride to… the emergency room?" He asked - trying to choose his words carefully.

She took his hand and rubbed her head gingerly with her free hand, "Yes please," Jinx said weakly.

Matt bent over and reached his arms behind him, ready for her to jump on his back, "Your carriage awaits, m'dear," he said with a smile.

Jinx smiled and hopped on his back, "Oh, and um, Jinx, what do we do when Roger finds out about that?" Matt asked, nodding towards the broken vent.

"My, my Matt - you have a lot to learn. It's simple, admit nothing, deny everything, and make counter-accusations. If all else fails, blame _anyone _else. Especially you,"

"So you mean, you?" He asked coyly.

"No you! I blame you," she tried to clarify.

"So I blame you?" he asked again.

"Okay, we'll just blame each other… or Near," She said evilly.

"Fair enough," Matt replied, "Now, how about those Mickey Mouse Band-Aids?" He asked nicely walking through the corridor and turning left.

"Yes," She said smiling, "And, Matt, do you know where you're going?"

"Not really," He replied, "But you're along for the ride."

"Cool!" She exclaimed, latching her arms around his neck, "Looks like this is adventure zero point zero one in the Jinx-Matt saga."

"Erm," Matt started cautiously, "Jinx, why is it zero point zero one?"

"Because," She whispered in his ear, "To tell you a secret, I can only count to one hundred. This way, we can have a bunch adventures before I have to learn to count over one-hundred."

Matt considered a moment, but then decided not to poke holes in Jinx's logic, because she wouldn't understand anyway – or she would just tell him he was wrong. As he walked he tried not to notice how warm she was on his back, how her dainty arms were sort of comforting as they hung loosely around his neck, or even how much maybe he didn't really mind that he'd have to spend the rest of his time at Wammy's with her. He admitted it, she had grown on him, and right now he really didn't want to think about any of those things.

After fifteen minutes of sprinting, twelve minutes of skipping, and twenty-six minutes of sitting in the hallway while Jinx tried to teach him how to do a cartwheel (yes, she _had_ actually counted the minutes), the two finally made it to the nurses office.

"You can stay out here, Mattie," Jinx said, hopping off his back, "I'm sure she'll want to lecture me about safety on the playground again."

"Psh," Matt laughed, "Wait out here and miss something as priceless as that?" He asked - a large smiling creeping on his face, "No way."

"You're brutal." She said callously, walking into the nurse's office. "'S'up, Greta?" She asked casually, making her way to bed where she was supposed to sit, already familiar with procedure. Matt took a chair close to the door.

"So," The nurse said painfully, "What injury do I have the _pleasure _of lecturing you about today?"

"These," Jinx said, smiling as she pulled up her pant legs to reveal bruised and scratched legs and slightly scraped knees, and then taking off her sweatshirt to reveal skinned elbows – which were barely visible because she was wearing gloves that went just below her elbows.

"And what did you do today?" The nurse sighed, taking out hydrogen peroxide and cotton balls.

"Why thank you for asking," Jinx said smiling a catlike smile, "I woke up, and then I went down to get breakfast, but decided against it because I didn't want to get me some indigestion,"

"Not that, Jinx." The nurse said, grimacing as if she were in pain, "As much as your life is interesting, I was asking about the injuries."

"Oh," Jinx replied dejectedly, "Well, I was climbing in a tree,"

"Of course,"

"And then I fell out,"

"Of course,"

"And that's how I got these injuries, she said pointing to certain scratches on her arms and legs, "But then I was in the ducts,"

This time the nurse just sighed.

"And then I fell out of those and that's how I injured myself the rest of the way."

"Mickey Mouse?" The nurse asked, holding up some Band-Aids.

"Ooh!" Jinx said, looking at the Band-Aids.

The nurse carefully patched Jinx up, and after lecturing her for a few minutes, the two were on their way again. After walking for what seemed like ages, Matt listening to Jinx as she told him stories of her life, Matt was relieved to see a door that opened to the courtyard.

"Hey," Matt interrupted, "I'm going to go outside for a second… I have to check something." He said jogging towards the door.

"Er… what could you possibly be looking for?" Jinx asked, jogging after him.

When Matt got outside he quickly got down on his hands and knees and began inspecting the ivy-infested foundation of the building. Jinx walked behind him, looking at him cautiously.

"What're you doin'?" She asked him, watching him crawl along the building.

"Three days ago I found this room… and it had a piano in it," Matt started, Jinx widened her eyes when she heard this, but quickly concealed the look.

Jinx crossed her arms and gave a look of annoyance, "Music is stupid," she huffed, grabbing Matt's hand, "C'mon, let's go do something cool!"

Matt tugged back, and Jinx pulled harder, realizing a patch of ivy on the wall coming up that revealed a tattered window, "We could go eat worms or something," she tried, tugging back.

"What?" Matt asked turning to look at her, but Jinx gave one last hard tug sending her, Matt, and her glove flying.

She hit the ground hard, Matt landing on top of her and her glove went flying somewhere off to her right. "Oof," she groaned.

"Thanks for cushioning my uh," Matt paused starting to get up, "Why's your hand and arm all bandaged?" He asked looking at the hand that was now lacking a glove.

Jinx pushed Matt off her and held up her bandaged hand to the sunlight, "No reason," she said smiling a crooked smile, "I just like how bandages look," she said standing up, "I feel like a number one crime-fighter!" she finished punching the air, fighting an invisible enemy.

Matt stood up and grabbed her glove, returning it to her, "Well, I guess whatever floats your floatation device that is sometimes referred to as a boat."

Jinx stared at him awkwardly for a moment before pulling her glove on, "You're kind of weird, Mattie," she said nicely, "But I like you. You're alright." She finished, smiling a genuine smile. Matt thought for a second, it was the first time he'd seen a genuine smile that was actually meant for him since he'd gotten to Wammy'\s.

Matt was lying in the grass, watching the clouds, and Jinx was fighting yet another invisible enemy (she'd been in battle for the last thirty minutes) when they heard it. It was a rough, brutal yell that echoed throughout the garden that the two had decided to stay in.

"JINX!" The voice yelled, and Jinx immediately stopped fighting her enemy. They both turned around to see Roger, in all his glory, marching toward him.

Jinx scrambled to Matt and began tugging at his arm, telling him to run, but before he had the chance to get up, Roger was already right next to them, grabbing them both by their shirt collars.

* * *

><p>"You'll be fixing the vent you broke along with detention this afternoon," Roger said once he'd dragged them both to his office.<p>

Matt stood dumbstruck, and Jinx just shrugged back into her chair. After a few moments Roger instructed Matt to leave, but Jinx was supposed to stay put.

"What do you want Roger?" Jinx asked once Matt had left, "Why'd you let me off so easy?"

"He's making another visit soon," Roger said calmly. Jinx's eyes widened briefly, but she quickly hid her reaction and changed her expression to unimpressed.

"Why's he coming?" She asked, trying to act uninterested.

"He's interested in you," Roger started, "Well, concerned."

"Of course he is," Jinx commented, pretending that the carpet was interesting.

"You know him, Jinx," Roger tried, "You know he's not good at expressing that sort of thing."

"I guess it's settled then," Jinx said getting up, "L is coming whether I like it or not."

Outside the door Matt listened intensely, _L? _He thought, his heart warming a little, _why would he be interested in Jinx?_

* * *

><p>"<em>Angels fly around you, reminding you we used to be three and not just two," – 3<em>_rd__ Planet, Modest Mouse_

* * *

><p><strong>Good day ladies, <strong>

**because, really, are there any guys on this site?**

**If you're a guy, speak up.  
>Because I luff you.<br>I luff you too ladies.  
>I just luff guys a little more.<strong>

**Question: What even is _luff_?**


	5. Sharing is Caring

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, Blues Clues, The Series of Unfortunate Events, Rugrats or its spinoff "All Grown Up".**

**Well, we got that out of the way.**

**Sorry for uploading this so late on a Friday - but I was hackin' up a lung during the final review.**

**ANYWAY, my loves, chapters fall into one of four categories for me: Details, Necessary, Fluff, or a mix of the other three.**

**Everybody likes a different type, but this one is in the 'necessary' category. My favorite is the fourth kind.**

**Guys... I just made a reference to The Fourth Kind.**

**That's right. Be proud.**

**Time to thank you crazy readers who dare to review:**

**KiriKatana, Frogata, C. Holywell-Black, and Spyro Flavord Skittles.**

**Note to the Reviewers: I wanted to thank you guys because I realize some of you are putting consistent effort to reading my story and reviewing every week, and you guys actually put decent thought into your reviews. It means a lot, and really, thanks. You keep me writing. -hearts-**

**METHOD TO REVIEW (MTR):**

**Threatening.**

**If you don't review I'll make sure there's no more (insert your favorite thing) for you.**

**EVER.**

**Review, or you'll never see your precious little (insert your favorite thing) ever AGAIN.**

**-evil laugh-**

* * *

><p>Pulchritudinous<p>

"Sharing Is Caring"

For the first time in a very long time, Jinx was legitimately mad. She kicked things across her room, cursed wildly, and even threw a fist at the wall a time or two; no matter how much it hurt. She didn't want _him _to come.

_Isn't__ me__ being here enough for him? _She thought, throwing another book across her room. As much as she pretended to hate Roger, she hated L one-thousand times more. Every time he came he would lecture her about her wrong-doings and her test scores. She wasn't grateful to be at the orphanage, so she certainly wasn't going to try for him.

Roger was always sympathetic to her, he would go easy on her punishments a week or two before he came to make it seem like she was trying to behave better, but she was pretty sure L had picked up on that a long time ago.

Maybe this time wouldn't be so bad; after all she did have Matt to report as her friend this time. She felt a sudden pang of guilt in her stomach when she thought of Matt… she was pretty sure he thought she hated him by now. When she had left Rogers office earlier she had kicked the door open, much to Roger's displeasure, and accidentally slammed the door in his face. Instead of apologizing to him she'd huffed off to her room. She made a mental note to apologize to him later.

When she had finally calmed down a bit she headed to the bathroom to wash her face, and a part of her hoped to wash the anger and hate away too. After rinsing her face a few times with cold water she dried it with a soft white towel and looked in the mirror.

The first thing she saw was her amber cat-like eyes… they were just like her mothers. She loved her eyes… and then her gaze shifted to the obsidian hair that fell in front of her eyes; somehow as if it was _daring_ to cover them. The forsaken hair that was so similar to _his_. When the thought ran through her head a sudden surge of white-hot anger flashed through her veins again and in a desperate attempt to destroy the hair she tore the mirror off the wall – slamming it to the floor where it shattered to pieces. She roared with anger and opened her door, her mind set on one thing – to get rid of the wretched hair.

She left her room and entered the first vent in the ceiling she could find – her favorite method of travel. She made her way around the school, stopping occasionally to spit on Linda when she saw her, and eventually finally made it to the nurse's office. When she got to the nurse's office she carefully checked through the opening in the vent to make sure the nurse was on her lunch break. When she'd made sure that the nurse was nowhere to be found she carefully lifted the cover and jumped out of the vent.

She looked around the office and looked around the room. She slowly crept over to the small brown cabinet that she had seen a thousand times during her visits to Greta's. Jinx opened the door and smiled – she had found the dark brown bottle exactly where she remembered it. Still beaming, she pulled it out and headed back to her room: _mission complete._

* * *

><p>Jinx sat on her bed, staring at the brown bottle. She had the delicate brown bottle in one hand and a dark spray bottle in the other. A smile spread across her face as she slowly unscrewed the white cap, and then suddenly there was a loud banging.<p>

"Jinx!" A voice shouted through her wooden door, "Open up!"

Jinx shrieked in surprise as the brown bottle escaped her hands - spilling its contents all over the floor. "Chit!" She shouted, scrambling to pick the bottle up.

The door burst open, "Did you just swear?" Linda asked accusingly.

Jinx quickly screwed the cap on and hid the bottle under her bed, "No, you idiot," Jinx said through clenched teeth, "I said 'chit'." Jinx sighed and wiped her hands on her pants, "Now, Linda dearest, what are you doing here in my abode – breaking Article 8 of the Human Rights Act?"

Linda scoffed at Jinx, "I know you swore, and Roger sent me, so it doesn't matter," Linda turned around, "Plus, you're already in enough trouble so I won't tell on you for swearing. You should gladly accept my pity,"

"Huh?" Jinx asked dumbly.

"You broke a vent," Linda clarified, turning around to give Jinx her best I'm-better-than-you-and-everyone-knows-it look, "Remember? Or did you just forget how fat you are?"

Jinx sighed, "It's amazing that an eleven-year-old can even fit in a vent, heaven forbid I break one every now and then."

"Whatever, just get your butt over there," Linda said, turning around, "At least Matt's responsible enough to already be there – even though he didn't break the vent."

Jinx swore under her breath and pushed past Linda, exiting her room. She was taking her first few steps down the hallway when she ran into somebody. Caught off balance she fell backward and hit the floor with a loud _thump. _

"Jinx," her attacker said, "Sorry about that!" Jinx looked up to see Matt holding his hand out to her, looking incredibly like a lost puppy.

"You attacked me," Jinx declared, taking his hand.

"No," Matt pleaded, "I just came because I wanted to see if you were coming to fix that vent… and that I'm sorry about earlier."

Jinx smiled, rubbing the back of her head, "Nah," she reassured, "It wasn't your fault."

"It wasn't?"

"Nope," she smiled her catlike smile, "But remember those words because it's the first and last time I'll ever say them to you or anyone else."

"Hey!" Matt said quickly, "That's not very nice," he told her, his hands on his hips.

"You love me anyway," she said, pinching his arm.

"Who told you?" Matt asked quickly, "_It's a secret!_" He teased, whispering.

"Psh," Jinx said, pushing him away, "I just knew," she smirked, "Plus, who doesn't love me?"

"Linda," Matt laughed but stopped when he saw Jinx glaring at him. "I-I should probably… uh…"

"Run?" Jinx asked, lunging towards him. Matt let out a girly scream and ran towards the vent Jinx had broken.

* * *

><p>"I've been working on the air vents all live long day," Jinx sang from across the hallway, "I've been working on the air vents just to pass the time away."<p>

Matt turned his head toward Jinx and sighed. She had been sitting in the corner of the hallway, munching on a caramel apple, the entire time he worked on the vent, and he now regretted giving her the apple in the first place, "Jinx," he tried, "Could you pass that wrench?"

He wished he hadn't asked. Instead of picking it up and walking over to him to gently hand it to him, Jinx looked at the wrench at her side, waited a few seconds, sluggishly picked it up, and then hurled it at his head. In an effort to dodge the flying wrench Matt jumped backwards, falling off of the ladder.

"Ngh," he groaned as he hit the ground, "You couldn't have handed it to me?"

"No," she growled, and then suddenly ran up to him and placed a gloved hand over his mouth, "Shh, someone's coming!"

Matt tried to protest, but her hand got tighter on his mouth. A few moments passed, and then from around the corner the leather-clad Mello came out.

He stared at the two suspiciously, then at the wrench that was down the hallway, and lastly at the fallen ladder. "Can't even change a vent?" he asked menacingly.

"It's not my fault Matt can't dodge a wrench and keep his balance at the same time!" Jinx hollered back, and Matt widened his eyes, pushing the girl off of him.

"How am I supposed to keep my balance if you're throwing…?" Matt started, but then realized that arguing with Jinx was futile.

"Roger figured you'd be trouble," Mello said back, annoyed, "So he sent me down here to babysit you guys – make sure that you fix the vent by detention."

"Aww," Jinx cooed, "Mello has to babysit? Some sort of community service?" She teased; Matt tugged her back towards the vent and prayed to almighty God that Mello have mercy on her.

"Get to work," he barked, sitting down in the hallway, taking a bite out of a chocolate bar.

Jinx shook her head and handed Mello the wrench. Matt was praying harder now, and then the two started to argue and Matt hoped that this wasn't going to be Jinx's last day left on Earth.

* * *

><p>"Hand me that friggin' screwdriver," Mello barked at Matt, who quickly handed him the screwdriver. He wasn't sure what kind of witchcraft Jinx had used, but she somehow made Mello fix the vent. She continued to ad-lib songs to apply to ventilation systems (having finished her apple long ago), and Mello kept getting rougher and rougher with the tools.<p>

"I'm bringin' ventilation back," She started, ad-libbing "Bringing Sexy Back," and Matt couldn't resist turning around to see Jinx dancing and trying to sing the beat, "Them other wrenches don't know how to act," she continued, still not noticing that Matt was watching. "I think its special what's inside your metal slats," she finished, stopping to do a dance number in the hallway that Matt thought was truly second to none. When she finished her dance number he couldn't resist laughing this time and fell off the ladder because he was laughing so hard.

"Hey!" She yelled at him, "Were you watching?"

"Couldn't miss a good show," he was still laughing, and Mello who had just finished putting the vent in was staring at the two, astonished.

"You two are still goofing around?" he barked at them, "Detention is in five minutes, and if any of us are late he'll give us _all _detention again! Get a move on, and if I'm going to be late it's definitely not because of either of you."

"Mattie," Jinx whispered excitedly, "Our first timed mission!" A spark of recognition went through Matt's mind as he remembered his gaming days.

"Adventure zero-point-zero-two?" He asked her.

"You know it!" She replied, running down the hall towards the detention room. Mello looked at them, astounded by their conversation.

Matt smiled and ran after her, pausing to look back at Mello, "You're the one who told us to get a move on, and I'm not getting detention because of you, so run!"

Mello looked at him and crossed his arms, "I don't run." He said snottily, walking down the hallway towards the detention room.

Matt looked down the hallway and then at the wall clock, _there's only three minutes and forty-seven seconds left to get there, _he thought to himself. His thoughts raced as he tried to think of a way to get Mello to the room quickly when an idea came to him.

_Dear God, _he prayed silently, _if you ever do any sort of act of kindness to me… please let him have mercy on me._

"What?" Matt asked toward Mello, "Are you afraid of sweating your makeup off… girl?" He finished, now questioning his desire to live.

It took Mello a good moment or two to register what Matt had said, but then it Matt could swear he heard the mental _click _in Mello's mind.

"I'm going to kill you, you brat!" Mello yelled at him, sprinting after Matt who had bolted the second he could get his feet to move.

* * *

><p>"Jinx!" Matt screamed, running towards the detention door, "Quick! Save me," he panted, bursting through the door, "He's going to kill me, be my shield!"<p>

Jinx raised an eyebrow from across the room; Matt saw her and jumped over several desks, cowering behind her. "Really?" She asked him, "What'd you do? Take his chocolate?"

"Worse," He panted, holding her in front of him, "Asked him if he didn't want to run because he'd -"

"Sweat my makeup off?" A familiar voice yelled, bursting through the door.

Jinx was silent for a few moments and suddenly hit the floor. Matt leaned over her to see if she was okay, and she turned and laughed in his face. "This is no time for laughter, Jinx," Matt pleaded, "C'mon, save me!"

"Matt," she said between giggles, "Do you have a death wish?" Tears started coming from her eyes and she rolled over onto her stomach again, now laughing harder.

"He must," A scary voice sounded from behind Matt, and just as he started to turn around he felt a rough hand grab the back of his t-shirt and the ground distanced itself from his feet.

Mello slowly turned Matt around to face him and brought him within an inch of his face, "Now," he started scarily, "I'm kind of hard of hearing. What did you say before?"

Matt stuttered, he didn't know how to react, or what to say. "J-Jinx," He tried, realizing that the girl was still giggling, "A little help would be nice about now."

Just as he thought Mello was about to punch his face, something that was growing increasingly popular it seemed, the wooden door started opening. In a matter of a few milliseconds, before Matt had time to process anything, everyone was in their seats, sitting straight and eyes forward. Matt was still standing in the middle of the room, dumbstruck.

"Matt," a voice he recognized as his History teacher's, "Would you like to tell the class something?"

"Huh?" He started, finally processing his surroundings, "Oh, uh, no. Sorry," He said quickly, taking a seat next to Jinx.

Matt took his opportunity to inspect the room; there was of course, Mello, him, and Jinx, along with several other kids. However, all of the other kids were older, somewhere in their teens.

Jinx sighed happily and Matt threw her a questioning glace. She quickly scrawled a note on a slip of paper and slyly handed it to him.

_We lucked out, _she had written, _he's a total drunk. He'll be passed out or 'leaving' because of a 'headache' within a few minutes._

Matt sighed in relief as he read the note, but something tugged at his memory. He checked over the note again and stopped at "He'll", something about the word was familiar… as if he'd seen her handwriting before… the capital H? Where had he seen it before?

Suddenly the note was snatched from him and Jinx crumpled it up in her hand. He shot her another questioning glace and she pointed forward, and surely, the teacher was passed out on the desk.

"So what's everyone in 'ere for?" She asked loudly, when no one replied she sighed, "I'm in here for breaking a vent."

"Punchin' a sheepdog," Mello said, almost happily.

"Callin' a teacher a name," said one of the older kids, and slowly everyone else confessed to what they had done.

"Why's there so many teenagers in here?" she asked them all.

"Teenage rebellion," A girl said, "Why else? What's a sweet little kid doing in here?"

"Like I said," she pouted, "I just broke a vent," she sighed, "Mattie didn't do anything," she pouted again, "This school just can't handle my intelligence," she added sweetly.

The teenagers laughed, "And how do you propose that?"

"Well, first of all," Jinx said matter-of-factly, "They can't handle my witty-ness."

"And how is that?" A boy asked.

"Well, people are always getting annoyed of my snappy rhymes and insults," Jinx told them happily, "I'm a communications master!"

"Well," Mello said harshly, "I guess that explains why you're always in so much trouble, doesn't it?"

"You're just jealous of my communication skills!" She yelled at him, "I don't need to prove anything to you, silly."

"It's because you can't," Mello said harshly, "You're only good at being a freeloader - making other people do your work,"

Jinx walked over to him and stuck her nose in his face, "What're you saying?"

"I'm saying," He said pushing her face out of his face, "That you're stupid."

"Fine," she huffed.

"What?" Mello asked.

"I'll prove my intelligence to you, Melanie."

Mello growled but stayed put, "I'm all ears," he said sarcastically.

Slowly, she cleared her throat a few times, making sure that she had a large audience, and with a large, catlike smile she began, "Well, Mello, if I didn't have good communication skills, then how did I get you to fix the ventilation system for me?"

A whisper went through the small crowd Jinx had accumulated – even the older kids were slightly afraid of Mello, and were excited to see someone say something. Mello just huffed and crossed his arms.

"I fixed it because I knew you were incapable,"

"What kind of insane person would say such a thing?" Jinx asked, putting her hand to her heart in an overly-dramatic way, "I am a hardworking member of society!"

"Whatever," Mello sighed, "It doesn't matter," he grunted, "Why?" He asked the crowd, "Because she's not here for communication skills. She's here because she was dumb enough to break a vent, and more importantly," he took a breath, "She's still last." He added coldly.

"Okay Mr. Mello," she said sadly, "If you cannot see the light I cannot make you." She finished, pulling her orange goggles over her eyes, smiling her signature smile once again.

"What're you doin'?" Matt asked her.

"Breakin' you out of here, m'dear," She said slyly, standing on a chair.

"You can't do that," he said, pulling her hand.

"The goggles mean business, Matt," she said, "They're just like… Tommy Pickles' screwdriver, Violet Baudelaire's ribbon, or even Steve's handy-dandy notebook. They serve a purpose," she explained happily through references, "And besides, I was getting kind of bored here."

"This is detention," He pleaded, "You can't just leave because you're bored!"

"Watch me," she said, taking a cover off the vent.

"Not the vents again," He begged.

"Yep," She said quickly, jumping off the chair and latching onto the vent. Swiftly and easily she pulled herself into the vent and was inside in just a few moments. A second later she skillfully stretched out of the opening, upside-down, and held her arm out to Matt. "C'mon," she urged.

"No," Matt said sternly.

"I have something I want to show you," she tried, and Matt considered for a second or two. Instead he stepped off the chair and handed her the vent cover, pushed the chair back in and sat down. Jinx sighed and crawled away through the vents.

Mello raised an eyebrow at him, but decided against doing anything, after all there _was _a teacher present… even if he was passed out.

* * *

><p>Matt sighed. Detention had just let out, and once Jinx had left nobody talked. It was probably one of the most boring things he'd ever gone through. He gradually made his way to his room, hoping that Blake was out so he could have the room to himself for a little while.<p>

When he opened the door that belonged to his room he was shocked to find Blake's side empty. All of his things; clothes, games, and his odd collection of bottles were gone. He called out for Blake and opened the door to the bathroom that belonged to their room.

"Sup?" the boy asked when Matt opened the door; Blake was putting his toiletries into a plastic bag that he threw into a suitcase.

"Where're you going?" Matt asked, confused.

"I'm fifteen, little man," he said ruffling Matt's hair.

"What about that?" he asked, watching as Blake stacked boxes of his things outside the door.

"It means I can leave the orphanage," he said chirpily.

"Oh," Matt sighed looking rejected.

"You'll get a new roommate," He said smiling, "And here," he said giving Matt a rolled up piece of parchment.

"What is it?" Matt asked.

"It's a map of Wammy's," he said, opening the door, "Something to remember me by, since you seem like the adventurous type. Had a lot of fun with it when I was a kid," He said, reminiscing, "Not many of 'em out there, my friends and I made that one." And with that, Blake left, Matt waving goodbye to him.

Matt slowly unraveled the parchment and saw that it really was a map. It seemed to have every detail of Wammy's floor plan; surprisingly Blake and his friends had an awful lot of knowledge about architecture at a young age… which brought up an idea in Matt's mind.

He walked around to the back of the courtyard where he and Jinx had been staying at earlier when he started to inspect the foundation again. He had to know if such a room existed, there was a gap on the map where a room _could _be, and he had to know he wasn't crazy or that he had just imagined the room up. He slowly crawled along the foundation, peeling back the thick ivy in some places, hurrying because it was nearly sunset. After about five minutes of inspecting the foundation he spotted a tattered window, nearly engulfed in ivy.

He peeled back the ivy to reveal the window, and carefully opened it. He stuck his head in and found that the window was too high up to jump in from, and it was indeed the room he was desperately looking for, so he carefully marked the spot on his map and went back to his room, hoping to find some rope.

When he got into his room he began to rummage through his belongings and stopped when he heard voices from outside his door.

"I don't see why I have to switch rooms," the voice complained.

"Your last roommate has been complaining for a year now… that you physically threaten him many times a day,"

"If he'd just stay out of my stuff I wouldn't have to," the voice growled.

"But, he says that he only touches his stuff,"

"It was in _my room _wasn't it? Therefore it's _my _stuff,"

A second later Roger walked through the door, looking slightly grim, "I'm sorry, Matt. But, your new roommate is,"

"You!" Mello yelled at him when he saw Matt.

"I have to room with you?" Matt yelled back at him.

* * *

><p>"<em>Well, nothing ever went quite exactly as we planned…"- Missed the Boat, Modest Mouse<em>

* * *

><p><strong><em>So, I usually end the chapter with a question. My question this week is:<em>**

**_What's your favorite kind of chapter? Fluff, Necessary, Details, or a mixture of all three?_**


	6. Wild Night

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* * *

><p>Pulchritudinous<p>

"Wild Night"

Matt stared straight forward at the ceiling, doing his absolute best to drown out all sounds and thoughts.

The only thing was that he never _ever _pondered how difficult distracting himself could possibly be at 3:30 in the morning.

He sighed and rolled over onto his side to stare at the bed across from him. It was hard to believe that just a week ago he'd been forced, kicking and screaming, to room with the monstrosity known as Mello, because it felt like it had been moths since he had slept. _If everyone thinks he's a monster now, _Matt thought, staring at his roommate disbelievingly, _I wouldn't want to know what everyone would think if they heard him snore._

Matt plunged his fingers in his ears painfully – trying to drown out the sound. Up until now he hadn't thought it possible for a human being to make so much noise without combusting from the sound energy, and plus, who ever said Mello exploding would be such a bad thing? If anybody had ever said such a thing, it certainly wasn't Matt.

Each rumbling snore escaped from Mello like an earthquake and each rumble made Matt nearly topple out of bed. For the past four hours Matt had been sitting as far away as possible, on the very edge of his bed, from Mello. He rolled over again, putting his pillow over his head. But somehow, the snores only seemed to get louder.

Matt sighed into his mattress. He had to do _something. _He certainly had no intentions to spend yet _another _sleepless night trying to drown out Mello's snores in _his own room. _Slowly, Matt unwound himself from the covers and got out of bed. He crept over to where Mello slept and stared in awe at the boy.

Each and every snore travelled through his body and left his mouth like the roar of an engine. With each passing snore Mello's entire body shook. It was just a wonder that he hadn't managed to wake up the entire orphanage with his insufferable snoring.

Matt thought for a moment, standing in front of Mello's bed, and suddenly an idea hit him like a ton of bricks. He walked over to Mello and slowly rolled him onto his stomach. The snoring was gone. Matt smiled a million-dollar smile and did a little victory dance.

Matt picked up the blanket on his bed and wrapped himself up in it, and then crashed onto his bed. He rested his bed on his pillow and closed his eyes.

"Grgghhh,"

Matt bolted upright, wide awake again. He turned his head slowly, seeing Mello back on his back, snoring away again. Matt sighed and squirmed his way out from under the covers. Once he'd finally made it out of his bed he stood over Mello once again.

_This isn't even possible anymore, _Matt thought to himself, looking around the room. He continued to search around the room, looking for anything that might make his night a little easier, when he spotted it.

His MP3 player was sitting on his, or Mello's, desk, abandoned. It was one of the first things that Mello had taken from him when he moved in. He crept over to the middle of the room, keeping one eye on Mello the entire time, and snatched the music player.

He slowly inched his way back over to his bed and put the headphones in. He scrolled through his music until he found a softer sound and cranked the volume up until he could barely hear Mello. Matt smiled, having finally found some solace, wrapped himself back up in his blankets, finally lay down on his bed, and closed his eyes.

It had only been a few minutes and Matt was dancing on the verge of sleep when he heard a light tapping.

_Tap._

Matt rolled over.

_Tap._

He closed his eyes tighter, trying to drown out the sound.

_Tap._

He cranked up his music a little louder, and then the sound suddenly stopped. For a second everything was quiet and Matt relaxed.

_CRASH!_

"Uah!" Matt screamed, falling out of bed and smacking his head on the nightstand. His earphones fell out of his ears and he was rolling around on the floor, trapped in the blankets he had wrapped around himself.

"Yo, Matt," A familiar voice called from outside his window, "You awake? It's Jinx!"

_Somehow I have this nagging feeling that this evening isn't going to get any easier, _Matt thought, finally untangling himself from his blankets and standing up.

The first thing he noticed was a giant gaping hole in the glass of the window that overlooked the courtyard. Then he looked on the floor to see a giant rock along with several glass shards scattered about.

Matt walked over to his window and looked out, seeing a fully-dressed Jinx on the lawn. "Now I am," he grumbled.

"Hi Matt," Jinx waved at him from below, "Lovely night, isn't it?"

"I'm going to kill you!" He shouted down towards her.

"Isn't Mello already going to do that?" She asked him, "I woke him up, didn't I?"

Matt stood shocked for a moment. He hadn't even realized that the rock could have awoken Mello. He turned around quickly to apologize, as if to somehow spare himself from Mello's wrath, only to find that Mello was still passed out on his bed.

"He's not even human," Matt uttered, staring at Mello's sleeping form. "_Not even human_."

"You coming down or not?" Jinx hollered.

Matt placed a hand to his throbbing head and returned to the window, "Are you crazy? Do you even know what time it is?"

"I'm not crazy Matthew," Jinx told him serenely, "I'm completely normal. _You're_ the one who's crazy."

Matt rubbed his eyes and touched his head tenderly, "And what evidence do you have to support that? I'm not the one who throws rocks at people's windows at," he turned around to check the clock, "Four in the morning."

"Maybe that's completely normal behavior, and _not _throwing rocks at people's windows at four in the morning is crazy."

Matt sighed. He could either stay and suffer through Mello's lawnmower snoring, or join Jinx and suffer through possible death.

_At this point, _Matt thought, _I'll take just about anything over this snoring._

"Alright," He called down to her, "I'll be down in a minute."

"I'm glad you see things my way!" She called to him, "I'll be waiting right here."

Matt nodded and looked at the window. There was no way to hide it from Roger. Matt sighed and searched around his room, looking for anything that might conceal the shattered window. He looked outside his window briefly to see Jinx trying to scare a group of pigeons.

Matt shook his head, grabbed a pillow off of his bed, and put it against the window. He stared at his bed, reconsidering for a moment, and, as if on cue, Mello snored. Matt sighed, all second thoughts now gone, and left his room.

* * *

><p>"A ham sandwich sounds nice right about now,"<p>

Matt stopped. He'd just entered the courtyard to meet up with Jinx and already she was spouting nonsense, "Right now?" He asked, confused.

"Yes." She replied simply, walking toward the door that Matt had just exited.

"Are you crazy? A ham sandwich at four in the morning?"

"I didn't know you got to dictate when my stomach needs sustenance," Jinx said, placing her hand on the door handle. She waited a few seconds and turned around, a fresh smile on her face, "Who uses doors these days anyway?"

"No." Matt replied sternly.

"C'mon," she urged, "Come with me on a nighttime ventilation crawl,"

"No."

"Doesn't it sound more fun than a nighttime hallway stroll?"

"No."

"C'mon," she said stubbornly, "This way," she said, walking away from the door.

"No," Matt said firmly, "We're using the door." He finished, walking to the door and placing his hand on the handle.

"Well," Jinx said uneasily, "We don't have a choice. We're locked out."

Matt pulled on the door and it didn't open. He continued to pull on the handle, hoping that somehow he just didn't pull hard enough, "You've got to be kidding me." He sighed, leaning his forehead on the door.

"C'mon," Jinx hollered to him cheerfully, "I've secured an opening!"

Matt turned to see her lassoing a rope around a light fixture. "You brought a rope?" Matt asked.

"Of course," Jinx said, climbing up the rope into a nearby vent she pried open with a screwdriver.

"And a screwdriver?" Matt hollered, running toward the vent she just climbed into.

"Yep," she hollered back.

"You seem awfully prepared," Matt yelled, anger rising in him.

"It's better to be prepared than… unprepared," Jinx finished dumbly, her voice echoing from the vent.

"You knew this was going to happen!" Matt yelled at her.

"Maybe I did,"

"You little -"

"And maybe I didn't."

"Brat!" Matt shouted up the vent.

Jinx stretched out of the vent opening, hanging by her knees, "Look," she said, "You can either spend all night out here and be caught by Roger," she said, withdrawing the rope, "Or you can come inside with me and get a ham sandwich."

"I don't like ham." Matt said stubbornly.

Jinx's eyes widened for a mere moment when she suddenly fell out of the vent head-first and landed with a _thud _on the ground, "Are you okay?" Matt asked.

"Y-y-you don't like h-ham?" Jinx stuttered, her eyes unblinking.

"Not really," Matt answered awkwardly.

Jinx jumped up on her feet and without saying a word climbed up the rope and disappeared into the vent. "Jinx?" Matt asked when she didn't appear again.

"Have fun spending the night out there!" Jinx's echoed voice hollered at him, "You ham-hater!"

"What?" Matt yelled, noticing how Jinx was slowly withdrawing the rope, "You can't leave me out here!"

"Then you can't hate ham!"

"You can't tell me what I do and don't like!"

"Who said I can't?"

"Because I'm the only one who has control over me?" Matt said, although he wasn't sure whether it was a statement or a question.

"Why did that sound like a question, Matthew?"

"I still hate ham!" Matt hollered stubbornly.

Things were quiet for a few minutes. "Jinx?" Matt asked again when there was no reply. "C'mon, Jinx!" He shouted again. No reply. Matt kicked the ground, grabbed a rock, and threw it at the vent. No reply.

"FINE!" Matt shouted, giving in, "I LOVE ham. It's a BEAUITIFUL meat. It's DELICIOUS. I love it more than anything in this HAMLICIOUS world!"

A few seconds passed and Jinx dropped out of the vent, smiling. "I'm so glad you see things my way," she smiled.

Matt sighed, "Let's just go get your ham sandwich." He said, reaching behind her for the rope. "Jinx, do you see anything wrong with this image?" Matt asked, pointing to the wall.

"No," she said, "Now, climb up the rope and let's go get my ham sandwich."

"I can't." Matt stated simply.

"Can Baby Matt not even climb a rope?" She asked him, "Here, watch me," she said, pushing him aside.

A few seconds passed and Jinx was silent, staring at the wall with disbelief. "Oh." She said dumbly, staring at the empty wall behind him.

"Now," Matt said serenely, "Could you tell me where the rope is?"

"Uh… it must be in the vent," Jinx muttered.

"What was that?"

"It… uh… must still be in the vent." Jinx said, a little more audibly.

"Now, what does that mean?"

Jinx smiled, "It means you better have strong shoulders."

"What?" Matt asked.

"Bend down and give me a leg-up," Jinx clarified happily.

"No," Matt said stubbornly, "I'm not letting another one of _your _mistakes become _my _problem."

"Well," Jinx said, walking towards him scarily, "I'm not letting one of _my _mistakes be _my _problem."

"What does that even me-" Matt started, but couldn't finish before he was tackled by Jinx.

"Boost me into that vent so we can get my ham sandwich _or else._" Jinx threatened, easily pinning Matt with one hand.

"I don't think it's natural for girls to be this stro – ouch, ow, ow, that hurts!" Matt squealed as Jinx twisted his wrist with her free hand.

"What were you saying?"

"I was saying smart! That's right. It's just so unnatural for girls to be this… smart."

"You better, now are you going to be a good little Matthew and boost me into the vent?"

"Only if I get something out of it," Matt persisted.

Jinx sighed, "What do you want?"

"I want you to accept that I don't like ham." He stated simply.

Jinx considered for a moment, "C'mon, Jinx," Matt pleaded, "Is that a huge demand?"

"Yes," she said seriously, "But I think it's a pretty fair deal. Alright Matt, you can dislike ham, but you can't hate it."

"I'll take what I can get!" Matt said proudly as Jinx got off of him. When she turned her back to the air Matt fist-pumped the air, mouthing "I won!"

"If you call that a victory, you're pretty sad,"

Jinx and Matt turned around to see Mello marching toward them from across the courtyard. "Mello?" Matt asked dumbly.

"I woke up to all of this commotion outside to find a giant gaping hole in my window." He growled, "Believe it or not, I'm a _very_ light sleeper."

"I know, I've nearly awoken you just rolling over," Matt commented, chuckling.

"Hi Mello," Jinx said, disregarding Matt.

"You're the reason there's a giant hole in my window, aren't you?"

"The one and only," she replied proudly.

"You're fixing that tomorrow," Mello growled, turning back towards the door to the building.

"You can't go that way," Matt shouted after him.

"What do you mean?" Mello asked, turning around.

"The doors are kind of… locked."

"But I just exited through it," Mello said.

"The school has an auto-lock mechanism," Jinx explained knowledgably, "Which is so to say that you can open it from the inside, but the door locks once it shuts. You know, to keep intruders out, and to let people out in case of emergency."

Matt turned to Jinx, "I think you know a little too much about locks."

"She just knows that stuff through experience," Mello scoffed, "So, future criminal, what's your plan to get back inside?"

Jinx pointed to the vent, "I can get through the vents, but Matt was dumb and accidentally threw the rope inside the vent."

"Whatever," Mello said, walking over to the vent.

"What're you going to do?" Matt asked him.

"I'm going back inside," Mello replied picking Matt up and pushing him into the vent, and then did the same to Jinx. "Now throw the rope down to me, you brats."

Jinx giggled, "You're right Matt," she whispered to him, "Girls aren't naturally this strong."

Matt laughed and handed Jinx the rope who threw it down to Mello. Matt and Jinx quickly hurried through the vent in case Mello had heard what they said, and only turned back to see Mello's slightly larger frame trying to squeeze through the tight vent.

* * *

><p>"Hey Jinx," Matt called after what seemed like an eternity of crawling through the vents, "My knees are killing me."<p>

"Don't be such a baby, we're here." Jinx said, pausing above an opening in the vent. She took the screwdriver out of her pocket and unscrewed the vent cover, handing it to Matt.

She jumped through the opening in the vent and called for Matt to jump down. Matt stuck his legs out and jumped down, but missed his landing and fell flat on his face.

"Get up Matt, this is no time for sleeping," Jinx said, walking through the school's kitchen to find something to make a ham sandwich.

Matt didn't move. "I don't know what you're talking about," he yawned, "This is the perfect time for sleeping. It's 5:30 in the morning."

"Well, as many wise people say, you can sleep when you're dead." Jinx said, preparing her ham sandwich.

Just as she finished putting the last slice of ham on her sandwich, throwing a few now empty _packets_ of ham away, Jinx walked over to where Matt was lying on the floor.

"Hey Matt," she said through a mouthful of ham, gently nudging him in the shins, "You want some?"

Matt's eyes fluttered open for a second to look at Jinx, "You have enough ham on that sandwich to feed a family of four," he finished, his eyes closing again.

"Oh dear," Jinx said, "It looks like Matt is asleep." She noted, shoving the rest of her sandwich into her mouth, and grabbing Matt's feet. She slowly dragged him out of the kitchen, a sinister smile playing on her lips.

* * *

><p>"What do you even eat?" Jinx huffed as she pulled Matt through yet another corridor, "Bricks?"<p>

"Why are you pulling a passed out Matt through the hallway?" Sounded a disgusted voice from behind her.

"Linda," Jinx said turning around, "I'm trying to help a friend back to his room."

"Why do you have to help him back to his room at seven in the morning?"

"Let's just say it's been a long night." Jinx sighed.

"What's wrong with his face?"

"How many questions do you have, Linda? Can't you tell that I'm busy?" Jinx asked, dropping Matt's legs.

"If you're just trying to be a friend, then what happened to his face?"

"He did that to himself."

Linda shook her head. "Roger found out about you guys in the courtyard last night."

"What do you mean?" Jinx asked, picking Matt's legs up.

"He knows that you, Matt, and Mello snuck out last night, and he's not happy."

"Why does he even care? It isn't like we even went anywhere."

"Because L is coming really soon and now he has a few delinquents sneaking out at night, and he always wants to impress L. Duh," Linda scoffed, "Are you stupid?"

"Whatever," Jinx said, dragging Matt away, "I guess I'll see you around. I'm taking him to his room."

"He'll find you!" Linda yelled, "And trust me, L will just hate you more!"

"Let him!" Jinx screamed back, turning the corner.

Jinx continued dragging Matt, muttering under her breath. "Stupid Linda and her stuffed bra… she can just go marry Roger and L if she's so impressed with them. She's such a dumb little brat!" She yelled, kicking the wall in frustration.

"Jinx, where are we?" She heard Matt ask from behind her.

"Hey you're awake!" Jinx said cheerfully, "I brought you back to your room."

"Thanks, I'm really tired. I don't know if I can make it much longer, and I have to talk to Mello. I had a weird dream, and if we're going to live together we might as well be friends." Matt said, opening the door to his room.

"Matt!" Mello yelled the second he opened the door, "Where have you been? If I get in trouble for the window that you broke,"

"Hey Mello," Matt interrupted calmly, "I'm sorry about the window. I'll fix it as soon as I talk to Roger. I was thinking, and if we have to room with each other then we might as well start to try to get along."

"Matt," Jinx warned, "This isn't a good idea."

Mello looked at him wide-eyed, "I know, it sounds surprising because we were… or you were trying to kill me just a day ago, but I'd like us to try to be friends." Matt added, ignoring Jinx.

Mello continued to stare at him, shocked. "I mean, I think that we have a lot of similarities," Matt continued.

"Matt," Jinx warned again.

"What are you trying to say by telling me that?"

"I just think that we have a lot of similarities and we could really get along," Matt said quickly.

"Are you trying to call me a transsexual?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Are you insulting me?"

"No! I'm trying to be friends because I think we're a lot alike!"

Mello grabbed the collar of Matt's shirt, "What are you trying to say?" He asked threateningly.

Matt squeaked, "I wasn't trying to say anything!"

Mello clenched his hand to a fist and raised it, "Then why is your face like that?"

"Mello!" A voice hollered from behind them, "Put Matt down this instant!"

"Roger?" Mello and Jinx asked surprised.

"I came because I heard about all the trouble – why is that window shattered? And, Matt, although I support free expression among you geniuses, why are you wearing makeup?"

"I'm wearing makeup?" Matt asked, running into the bathroom to check his face. He quickly exited, looking at Jinx. "What did you do to me?"

Roger put his face in his hands, "I'm beyond furious with you three. My office – now." He commanded, leaving the room with the three following him.

* * *

><p>The three sat in Roger's office, Jinx on the far left, Mello on the far right, and Matt in the middle, rubbing his face vigorously.<p>

"Stop," Mello told him, "You're just making it worse."

"It won't rub off!" Matt exclaimed, smearing lipstick across his face.

Jinx snickered from the far left and Matt and Mello glared at her. "Why are you two so mad?"

"You're the reason we're here!" Matt exclaimed.

"Sure, you keep telling yourselves that. If you never accept responsibility you'll never grow up."

"Growing up?" Roger exclaimed as he entered the room. "You're one to talk Skylar!"

"Don't call me that," Jinx said, turning away.

"Let's see everything you've caused me in the past month," Roger said, opening a folder, "You broke a vent, a window, injured Linda thirteen times,"

"She deserved it," Jinx scoffed.

Roger glared and continued, "Injured yourself twenty times, and exploded the kitchen."

"I didn't explode the kitchen! I just forgot to turn the oven off." Jinx defended herelf.

Roger ignored her, "And you, Mello!" Mello sighed but didn't protest, "I get a call from the school nurse every day about you injuring some child! I know that you place second, but that doesn't mean that you can hurt others out of jealousy,"

"I'm not jealous of Near!" He yelled, but Roger glared at him.

"And now the two of you are dragging Matt into this!" Roger shouted, slamming Jinx's thick folder onto his desk, "Look, you three, L is coming tomorrow morning and you three better be on your best behavior."

"L?" Mello asked eagerly.

"Oh please," Jinx scoffed, "At least try to keep it in your pants."

"Shut up, you little brat!"

"I'm not the one obsessed with L!"

"Both of you just shut up!" Roger yelled and everyone stood shocked for a minute, "Now promise that you'll all be on your best behavior."

"I promise." Jinx said through gritted teeth.

"I promise." Mello said angrily.

"Matt?" Roger asked, staring at the boy who was swaying back and forth, "Promise."

"I," Matt yawned, his head bobbing, "I promise to be…" He didn't finish because he passed out on Roger's desk.

"I guess that's the end of Matt's wild night," Jinx said, smiling.

Roger sighed, "Why I'm in this job, I don't know."

* * *

><p>"<em>Just when you think you're in control, just when you think you've got a hold, just when you get on a roll, oh here it goes, here it goes, here it goes again," – Here it Goes Again, Ok Go<em>

* * *

><p><strong>But like I said.<strong>

**You're cool.**

**So you should review.**

**Yeah.**

**QUESTION OF THE WEEK: How do you feel about trains?**


	7. L's Proposition

**Hello divine readers!  
>Yes, this is late.<strong>

**Yes, this is RAW.**

**I'm super-duper behind but I'm a little OCD;**

**My friends: A LITTLE!**

**And, if this wasn't posted on a Friday BEFORE 10, I would have gone insane and lit a McDonalds on fire.**

**Maybe not.**

**But you get my point.**

**MTR (method to review):**

**SEDUCTION (yes, one reviewer called it)**

**Why, hello there, -shows ankle-**

**Random person: WHORE.**

**Hey, I'msexyandIknowit.**

**And you know it.**

**So you'll review, right?**

**THANKS TO MY REVIEWERS:**

**KiriKatana, x-Beyond-B, Shibo26, C. Holywell-Black (wemissedyoulastweek). **

**ON WITH THE STORY.**

* * *

><p>Pulchritudinous<p>

"L's Proposition"

Matt slowly returned from sleep, not quite ready to take off the warm blanket of sleep that clouded his mind. He was in a fluttery state of mind – he couldn't quite remember what he'd been doing last, where he was, or what he was doing. He just knew that he wanted to enjoy the warm fog that engulfed his mind.

"Matt," a voice called to him softly, "Wake up."

A few seconds later the voice called again, a little more irritable, "Matt, you better wake up soon or Jinx will wake you up."

The name tugged gently at his memory, but he wanted to enjoy the haziness for just a little longer.

"MATT!" A different voice sounded, much louder, much stronger, and much more brutish. Matt clenched his eyes slightly tighter, trying to drown out the voice and the dull pain that started in his head.

"Speak of the devil," the other voice commented softly.

"Matt!" The voice yelled again, and just as Matt was about to turn away from the sound, a large weight crashed onto his chest, crushing him. He slammed his head against the back of the bed and jolted upright, gasping for air.

"You're awake!" Jinx said, smiling as she kneed him in the chest. Matt gasped for air, opening and closing his mouth like a dying fish. "You okay?" Jinx asked.

"A-air!" Matt stuttered, pushing her off of his chest and breathing heavily.

"You need to learn how to breathe," Jinx commented, "I mean, it comes naturally to us smart ones."

Matt glared at her, but was still too out of breath to say anything. He turned his gaze to his side to see Mello chomping on a chocolate bar, with a Teen Vogue in his other hand.

"Mello," Matt asked carefully, "Why are you reading a Teen Vogue?"

Mello looked up and closed the magazine, "Because your friend Jinx there told me they did an article on chocolate," Mello grunted, "_Apparently it's sort of a girl thing._" He finished softly, almost inaudibly.

Jinx began to laugh, "I told you!" She said, cackling.

Matt suppressed his giggle and looked around, "Where am I?" He asked, noticing he wasn't in the room he shared with Mello.

"The infirmary," Mello told him, "You passed out on Roger's desk and they took you here. You've been asleep for almost a day."

"Oh," Matt sighed, taking a look at Jinx, "What did you do to me this – your hair is blonde." He finished dumbly.

"You just now noticed?" Jinx asked, running her fingers through her hair.

"I guess you were right," Mello said, handing Jinx a few dollars, "I thought for sure he wasn't that dumb."

Matt sat confused, "What was that about?"

"Mello bet that you'd notice my hair was blonde right away, but I knew how dumb you were, so I took the bet. It's like taking candy from a baby," Jinx said, smiling.

"I feel insulted," Matt said grimly, "And are you two friends now?"

"No." Jinx and Mello responded almost instantaneously.

"Oh, I just figured that because you two were…"

"Matt, I'm bored." Jinx interrupted.

"What?"

"We're a day behind," she clarified, "You took a sick day yesterday, so now we're behind on our shenanigans."

"Shenanigans?" Matt asked, confused.

"Shenanigans!" Jinx exclaimed.

"Yes, your annoying shenanigans that I have the pleasure of getting tied into every time." Mello growled.

"Well, Mello," Jinx said, jumping off the bed, "If you don't like getting tied _into _our shenanigans, would you rather be tied _to_ the shenanigans?" She asked, showing the rope that was tied around her belt loop.

"I've expended my time here," Mello said calmly, "One can only handle so much of her ignorance. Goodbye, Matt." Mello said, walking out.

"What happened to him?" Matt asked once Mello had left.

"Well," Jinx paused, "Despite your insulting appearance when you attempted to become Mello's friend, some part of what you said really stuck with him."

"So he wants to be my friend now?"

"Eh," Jinx sighed, sitting down in Mello's chair, "I don't know, but the kid has a really warm butt."

Matt sighed and shook his head. Sometimes he couldn't fathom his reasons for staying friends with Jinx.

"Anyways," Jinx sighed, "Let's get going. We've wasted enough time,"

"Wasted?" Matt asked, confused.

"Yes, we've got plans today," Jinx informed, "Remember?"

"I don't remember…" Matt said easily, "Did you drug me?" He asked quickly, shielding himself with his arms.

"That was only one time," Jinx said, annoyed, "You're so paranoid."

"One time? When was this?" Matt asked, alarmed.

"You know, now that I think of it I think you may have been too asleep to remember us discussing our plans." Jinx said, trying to get off the subject.

"Too asleep to remember?" Matt asked, befuddled, "Jinx, someone is either asleep or awake, so what's too asleep?"

"It doesn't matter," Jinx declared, "Now get dressed and let us begin our adventure. Onward!"

"Dressed?"

"You're wearing a hospital gown," Jinx informed him, "I wouldn't step foot in a boys room, so here's some of Linda's clothes." Jinx said, tossing them to him.

Matt's first reaction was to vomit all over the disgusting pink that now filled his lap, "You expect me to wear this?" Matt scoffed at the clothing.

"Well, considering the fact that hospital gowns don't exactly cover the back door, yes," Jinx answered smugly.

Matt sat horrified for a second, unsure of what to do. "I'm not wearing that skirt."

"So, Matt," Jinx said, leaning toward him, "Do you have a cute butt?"

"You're so gross!" Matt exclaimed, pushing her away from him.

"Well, you refuse to wear Linda's clothes!"

"Why do you even have Linda's clothes?" Matt asked, slightly concerned.

"I go in her room from time to time, you know, to hide her favorite things, and this time I thought I'd pick up something for you," Jinx smiled, patting his head, "See? I think of other people too."

"Hardly," Matt scoffed, taking off the blanket. "But, Jinx, your plans are foiled."

"What do you mean, dear ol' Matthew?"

"I mean, I'm wearing boxers!" Matt exclaimed, jumping out of the hospital bed and heading toward the exit, "I am going to _my _room to get _my _clothes and you will _never _see my bottom!" He yelled defiantly, running from the room.

"Want to bet?" Jinx asked, running after him.

They chased each other through the halls, Jinx gradually gaining on Matt. Just as she was about to catch up to him Matt ran into Roger.

Matt immediately rolled over on the floor, covering his bottom, still not noticing Roger. "It's my butt!" He yelled, backing himself into a wall.

Roger widened his eyes, "I'm very sure it is Matthew," he sighed, "Now what are you doing running about?"

"Mr. Ruvie," Jinx addressed immediately, "He just jumped out of his bed and ran claiming that someone was after his bottom! I think that perhaps you rooming him with Mello wasn't exactly the best idea," Jinx commented to Roger, a very serious look on her face.

"I AM NOT GAY!" Matt yelled, "_You, _a _female, _were after my bottom!"

Roger stood, a very worn expression on his face, "Matt, do I need to arrange separate living accommodations?"

"No!" Matt replied immediately.

"Okay," Roger said, eager to get off the subject, "I was just bringing your clothes to the infirmary, didn't Jinx tell you that I was stopping by soon?"

"No, she did not," Matt growled at Jinx, "Why did you try to get me to wear Linda's clothes?"

"How did you get Linda's clothes?" Roger immediately asked.

"You guys are bombarding me with questions!" Jinx exclaimed.

"She stole them from Linda's room!" Matt immediately told Roger.

"So much for sticking together!" Jinx exclaimed, "In that case, Matt pushed me out of the vents!"

"I did not!"

"Did so!"

"Did not!"

"Did so!"

"_Enough you two!" _Roger shouted, "Now I don't want to hear a word out of either of you two for the rest of the day! I'll overlook this incident because L is coming in fifteen minutes -" Roger was cut off from the sudden exuberant shouting of children.

"Never mind that," Jinx said quietly.

Roger sighed, "He's already here, now you two better behave!" He yelled, marching off.

"Jinx!" Matt exclaimed, putting his jeans on under the hospital gown, "It's L!"

"Not you too," Jinx grumbled under her breath while Matt put on his T-shirt and put the discarded gown on the floor.

"What do you mean?" Matt asked, stuffing his feet into his shoes.

"I hate L." Jinx said firmly.

"But," Matt started but Jinx quickly interrupted him.

"Let's play a game, Matt."

Matt's hands instinctively flew to his bottom, "What is this going to require?" He asked nervously.

"Not that," Jinx said quickly, a sinister look crossing her face, "We're going to play a game with L."

* * *

><p>A sleek black car smoothly pulled in front of the Wammy's House gate, and before the driver had even put the vehicle into park it was attacked by what seemed like hundreds of children.<p>

"They sure do love you here," the driver noted casually to his black-haired passenger.

"Yes, yes they do." His passenger replied, stepping out of the car.

"L!" The children cried, attacking him with hugs and hand-made gifts.

"Hello," he greeted the children cheerfully, scanning the crowd.

L continued to greet the children with smiles as they came up to him, handing him a variety of macaroni paintings, hand-made art crafts, and other mementos.

When the crowd finally settled one student asked, "What brings you here this time?"

"Well," L said casually, "I have a proposition for one student."

A ripple of excitement went through the crowd as they thought of the possibility that it could be them, "And," L started again, "I want to play a game."

Another ripple of emotion went through the crowd, but it wasn't exactly excitement. The students didn't understand, L always shared detective tips with them, but he had never once offered to play a game.

"What kind of game?" One boy asked.

"Well, normally," L said easily, captivating the students, "I win every game I've played, but I've lost this one a few times, and I need your help."

The students didn't know what to say, they couldn't believe that there was a game that L couldn't beat by himself. "Have you children played the game Finding Waldo?"

"Yeah," the crowd said at once.

"Are you saying you can't even win Finding Waldo?" One boy asked harshly, "That's the easiest game ever."

L smiled, "Well, let's just say that this particular Waldo is very tricky and likes to move about. I can never quite catch them, and that's where I require your help."

The children nodded, L had gained his search team. _Good luck this time, _L thought, walking toward the building with all of the children following him, _but I doubt that you'll win this time._

* * *

><p>"Jinx," Matt said painfully, "Why are we in the smallest vents of the building?"<p>

"Because he can't get us here," Jinx replied easily.

"But I can't even get through here," Matt gasped, "I think I just broke a rib."

"Suck it up," Jinx said, pulling herself through the vent, "And anyways, it widens up here."

"Why do we do this so often?" Matt asked, carefully contorting himself to fit through the tubing.

"It's my favorite method of transport," Jinx replied easily, still pulling herself ahead.

"Well," Matt huffed, "My favorite method of travel is the _hallway!" _Matt shouted, banging his fist on the bottom of the vent.

"Did you just hear something?" Matt heard a muffled voice sound below.

"Yeah! That must be who L was talking about. We already outsmarted L!" A second voice replied.

"Quick, let's go get them!"

"You see what you just did?" Jinx whispered harshly, "C'mon, let's move, let's move!" Jinx said quickly, suddenly scrambling through the vent at a pace he never thought possible.

"Hey!" Matt called after me, "Wait up for me!" He tried to clamber through the vents as fast as she had, but was very unsuccessful, in a matter of moments she was out of sight.

He continued to crawl through the vents, calling her name fruitlessly, when he ran into a fork in the vents.

He was having trouble deciding which vent to go through when he heard the two voices from earlier behind him.

"You're so dumb! Why would they be in the vents?" The first voice complained.

"I swear that's where I heard them from!" The second insisted.

Matt didn't waste any time with his decision – he figured he had a fifty-fifty chance, and that he didn't want to be caught. Matt scrambled through one of the vents as fast as he could, shaking and squirming.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been climbing through the vents; it could have been minutes or hours, when he ran into something very _hard._

"Jinx!" Matt exclaimed, "Don't run away like that!"

"Hello Matt," a different voice greeted, "You're precisely the person I wanted to speak with."

Matt looked up, slightly shocked, "L?"

"Yes?" L asked.

"Oh, uhm, nothing, Jinx isn't in the vents or anything,"

"Thank you for the advice, but that's not what I wanted to converse with you."

"Oh?" Matt asked, still confused.

"Well, Matt, I have a proposition for you."

* * *

><p>"<em>Come on, come on, take your chance," – Take Your Chance, Fun Factory<em>

* * *

><p><strong>QUESTION OF THE WEEK:<strong>

**What's been your best Halloween costume (and why)?**

**And if you don't celebrate Halloween, what's your favorite holiday (and why)?**


	8. My Family Is Conditional

**Hello divine readers!**

**I've said that before, haven't I? –toolazytocheck-.**

**MTR:**

**Torture!**

**-cuts off one lock of Matt's hair-**

**If you don't review I'll keep cutting until he is POSITIVELY UNSIGHTLY.**

**Matt: REVIEW! Save my hair! My beautiful, beautiful hair! I need it for the… ladies~**

**ON WITH THE STORY.**

**Special thanks to:**

**Spyro Flavord Skittles, Shibo26, KiriKatana, C. Holywell-Black, and x-Beyond-B.**

**Thanks much! **

* * *

><p>Pulchritudinous<p>

"My Family Is Conditional"

"Well, Matt, I have a proposition for you,"

Matt gulped, "J-Jinx isn't in the vents…"

"I am aware of the fact that you don't plan to reveal her," L assured, "But I wanted to discuss a different matter with you."

Matt sighed a sigh of relief, "Okay," he affirmed quietly.

"Well, you see, Matt, you have advanced to third place,"

"Uh, L," Matt started quietly.

"Yes?"

"Shouldn't we go discuss this in Roger's office, or really anywhere else but here?"

"I agree with you completely."

Matt nodded and started to crawl to the vent when L spoke up, "But, Matt," Matt turned around, "It appears that I am stuck here."

"Oh!" Matt replied, "Should I go get some… butter or something?"

"No," L replied simply, "I should have known that a man of my size couldn't fit through these vents, but I was compelled to try anyway, I'm sure I'll find a solution soon enough."

"I can always go contact maintenance," Matt offered.

"No thank you," L said quickly, "I'm not easily embarrassed, but I'd have to say getting stuck in a vent was never my ideal."

"I see," Matt nodded, "What did you want to speak with me about then?"

"Well, Matt, now that you're in third place I have an opportunity for you to go off campus to continue studying in a real-life environment," L explained casually.

"What do you mean by 'studying in a real-life environment'?"

"Well, the ranking system at Wammy's is designed to produce my successor," L continued, "And, well, I'm a detective."

"Yeah, I knew that," Matt replied dumbly.

"So, what I allow a few top students to do is to do small detective work outside of school, and sometimes that requires you to venture off campus."

"Okay," Matt answered after a few moments of silence.

* * *

><p><em>Outside. Off campus. Away. <em>Matt couldn't get the words out of his head. He'd finished talking to L an hour ago, but he still couldn't push the words hard enough to get them out of his mind. They sat like boulders, and no matter how much he tried they stayed drilled into his brain.

_I want to be someone L can be proud of, _Matt thought, _and I know that being his successor would grant me the power to protect anyone I needed to. _There was no question about it – Matt loved L and he wanted to be a part of his life, he held L to with high esteem in his mind, and to be a part of the things he did would have been amazing.

But then there were those words. Matt wouldn't ever admit it, not even to himself, but a part of him knew that that's what he was afraid of. As scary as Jinx got, Matt was even more afraid of going away. Things were finally working out for him. He'd made friends with Mello (or it seemed that way) and he liked being with Jinx. He didn't want to give away the one second chance he'd gotten.

"Matt," a voice somewhere above him whispered.

"Huh?" Matt asked, looking around, gently roused from his thoughts.

"Up here," Matt looked up to see a nearly strangled Mello barely squeezing through a vent opening.

"What are you doing in the vents?" Matt inquired.

"It doesn't matter, just get up here!"

"I think it does matter, are you helping L out?"

"No," Mello answered easily.

"What?"

"I'm helping you out."

"What does that even mean?"

"It means I'm going to help you with Jinx." Mello replied, his tone growing increasingly annoyed.

"What? Don't you hate her?"

"Yes. Increasingly more every time she speaks too."

"Then why in the world are you bothering to help me out with her?"

"Look, despite your insulting appearance when you talked to me last, I did actually hear what you said, and when Jinx explained… I just… well…"

"Are you saying that you're actually starting to like me?" Matt asked cheerfully.

"Don't get too excited now," Mello replied, stretching a hand out to Matt and pulling him into the vent.

"I just don't understand, you seemed so," Matt stopped suddenly; he couldn't put his words into sentences.

"You actually don't annoy me that much," Mello said, starting to squirm through the vent, "And I prefer we keep it that way. Just because I'm helping you out doesn't mean that I won't hesitate to kick your face in if I need to."

"Roger that," Matt replied, smiling. His friend count had just moved up to two, _and maybe I won't need to take L up on his proposition, _he thought.

"What's the plan?" Mello asked.

"What do you mean?"

"She's _your _friend, you expect me to help you and come up with the plan too?"

"Well, I wasn't really planning on rescuing her from L's evil army, but, I suppose it'll make for a fun afternoon,"

"Wait a minute," Mello stopped crawling, "I thought about rescuing Jinx before you did? What's fundamentally wrong with you?"

"I've just been thinking pretty intensely, that's all," Matt said quietly, "But, I suppose we must create a plan. Plan "Save Crazy Maiden from the Advancing Dark Army" commences now!"

"Okay, so you gave a codename to a plan that doesn't exist yet," Mello noted quietly, "So seriously, what's the plan?"

"I suppose we'll have to actually _find her _first," Matt started, "And then we'll have to take her someplace where nobody would find her."

"I can think of one place," Mello noted.

"Where would that be? We have half the orphanage looking for her and the only reason the other half isn't is because they haven't caught on yet."

"Linda's room," Mello laughed.

"Except you forgot about Linda who might just happen to be in her room," Matt replied, "Because you know, some _crazy _people actually go to their dormitories."

Mello sighed, "Well do you have any idea where we'd hide someone in a building that has a psychotic search team running about?"

"I actually think I might just have a solution to our location problem," Matt replied.

"Good," Mello sighed, "Now where is the place?"

"That's the problem," Matt said with anguish, "I just don't know where the place is."

"How is that supposed to help?" Mello asked him, turning around to smack him upside the head.

"I've only found it twice and both were kind of by accident!"

"Okay," Mello said through gritted teeth, "I'll try to stay with you here, now tell me, what exactly was this place?"

"Well," Matt began nervously, "I'm pretty sure it was an orchestra room," Matt told him quietly.

"That doesn't make any sense," Mello said quietly, "I've been here my entire life but I've never heard of an orchestra room or anything even close ever since we got the new arts wing."

"A new arts wing?"

"They built it for art, literature, dance, music, and basically anything that you can call an 'art'. But, I know we had something before that… Matt, you may not be crazy."

"Thanks, that's a relief," Matt replied sarcastically.

"But now's not the time to debate the status of your mental health," Mello said quickly, "We have to find that monster and then hide it."

"Well, I don't think she'd appreciate being called an 'it'," Matt added quietly.

"And I don't appreciate being bogged down by her schemes but we all have to live with things we don't like, now don't we?"

"I don't entirely get what you're trying to say, but we should probably hurry." Matt said, hurrying through the vents.

* * *

><p>"We got her! We got her!" Someone shouted ahead, "Someone get L!"<p>

"You'll never catch me alive – oomph!" Another voice yelled ahead, "There's no need to push!"

"That's her!" Matt shouted, crawling through the vents, "And it sounds like she's in trouble!"

"That's a surprise," Mello replied, crawling after him.

Only twenty or thirty feet in front of them the vent opened into the hallway where Jinx laid sprawled on the ground, surrounded by two or three other kids.

"This is insubordination!" She cried and Matt smiled.

"How are we going to help her?" Matt asked.

"Well," Mello said, cracking his knuckles, "All of those kids are scared of me, so it seems pretty easy."

Matt had started to question him when he went through the opening in the vent and landed in front of the kids, "So, I hear L wants this lady captured,"

"Mello! You wouldn't turn me in!" Jinx cried and Matt stayed in the vent.

"Who says I wouldn't? You're the one who says I'm infatuated with him,"

"Because you totally are!"

"Being a bitch only means I'll turn you in faster," Mello said back, "Now kiddos, you weren't trying to steal her and take the credit for yourselves, now were you?"

"We found her!" One of the braver kids spoke up, "And I'm not scared of you because in a few minutes at least thirty kids will be here, and so will L!"

Mello sighed, "Well I guess this throws a fork in our plans, come on down Matt, change of plans."

"Matt?" Jinx asked, getting up as Matt jumped down from the vent.

"Didn't think I'd leave you hanging, did you?"

Jinx smiled, "So what have you two idiots planned for now?"

"Uhm," Matt started quietly, "We didn't exactly plan that far."

"Well," Jinx said, pulling her orange goggles over her eyes, "I guess this means we improvise, and my first order of business as leader of Jinx and The Boys is that we run!" She finished, grabbing the two by the arm and sprinting off in the opposite direction, followed by the children.

"When did we become Jinx and The Boys?" Matt asked as he was being drug along.

"And who decided you were the leader?" Mello asked, "As I recall the strongest should be the leader,"

"And as I recall the smartest should be the leader,"

"I'm not the one ranked last!" Mello yelled at her.

"Not to interrupt your fascinating argument or anything, but would we happen to be running to the courtyard?" Matt asked uneasily.

"Yeah," Jinx replied to him, "That's our best chance of escape,"

"Not to be a downer or anything, but I don't think we have much chance of escape that way," Matt said as they burst through the courtyard door to find themselves surrounded by kids, with Linda standing in the middle.

"Oh crudnuggets," Jinx sighed, "Looks like we're caught guys."

"Don't worry you little brat, L's already left. It looks like you've won again, but tell us, why are you avoiding him so badly? We all eagerly await your response," Linda said, a vicious tone underlying her voice.

"Why are you starting this?" Matt asked Linda heatedly, and Jinx remained quieter than Matt had ever seen her.

"Are you missing mommy?" Linda teased, and Jinx narrowed her eyes.

"No," Jinx replied shakily, her voice betraying her, "And at least my mum didn't abandon me!"

Linda's expression immediately fell and Jinx took a somber step forward, opening her mouth to apologize, "At least my mum didn't try to kill me." Linda retorted and Jinx clamped her mouth shut. Matt stood uneasily in his spot like he usually did, but this time was different. This time some sort of anger bubbled inside him, he didn't want to see Jinx upset.

"Nothing to say?" Linda asked, taking a step towards Jinx who balled her hands into fists, Linda stole a look at Matt who was sporting a blank expression, "Oh, wait," Linda said, "He doesn't know, now does he?"

"Know what?" Matt asked and Jinx hung her head, hiding her face behind her short spiky blonde hair.

"About her mum," Linda started.

"What about her?" Matt yelled at Linda, cutting her off. Jinx raised her head to look at him, a look of hope crossing her eyes, "We're all here for one reason or another regarding our parents," he started weakly, his voice steadily growing stronger, "I don't see why it matters."

"That's true," Linda said calmly and Jinx hung her head again, her nails digging harshly into her skin, "But most of us aren't here because one of our parents tried to kill us,"

"What do you mean?" Matt asked dumbly.

"Now you really don't know," Linda said, walking around Jinx like a predator around its prey, "Now I guess that isn't really a surprise," she remarked, glancing at Matt's fuming face, "Because why would she want to scare off her only friend?" She asked, closing in on Jinx, "After all kids," she whispered to Matt, "Crazy is genetic." She finished, staring closely into Jinx's face.

"Hey," Matt said, taking a threatening step toward Linda, "Like I said," he breathed, "Whatever her mum did doesn't matter to me!"

A look of relief passed over Jinx's face, but Linda just laughed coldly. "Her mum claimed that the devil stole her real child and replaced her with Jinx," Jinx turned around, not facing Linda, "So she decided to throw her over a balcony when she was five," Jinx began to march away, her hands over her eyes, "But really, the real shame is that her daddy saved her." Linda finished and Jinx broke into a run, running away from the crowd.

Matt turned around and started to run after her but stopped, turning to face Linda, "It's a good thing that her father saved her," he told her fiercely, "He was a good man then."

Linda's eyes widened, "You don't know about her father? Wow, she really hasn't told you anything,"

"And I don't blame her," Matt yelled at Linda, "Nobody wants to go parading how screwed up their family is, everybody's the same here at the orphanage." Matt turned and started to walk away, following Jinx.

"I can hardly believe it," Linda continued, "I mean, there's no resemblance," she scoffed, "I actually look up to him," she finished, sighing dreamily.

"How do you know her father?" Matt asked harshly, stopping in his tracks.

"So you really don't know?" Linda laughed cruelly, and Matt started to walk away again, deciding not to waste his time with her, "But if you really must know," Linda paused and Matt stopped again.

"L is her father."

* * *

><p>"<em>He seemed impressed by the way you came in, tell us the story, I know you're not boring," – Reptilia, The Strokes <em>

* * *

><p><strong>Can anybody say MARY-SUE?<br>Loljk. I know how this looks ya'll, but I promise, I'll make her life a living hell.**

**Hooray!**

**Since I am throwing a party this weekend, I'll ask you a question related to that.**

**DO YOU LIKE TO DANCE?**

**If you get the Yo Gabba Gabba! reference, I love you.**

**Good day now!**


	9. You Better Be Safe

**Hello all! **

**I hope you missed me :3**

**I do not own Death Note.**

**SO, there were no cries of, "MARY-SUE! BURN HER AT THE STAKE!"**

**Last week, so I suppose that's a good thing, right?**

**Haha, 12 reviews, what a nice week too!**

**I'm so glad you guys are all so great.**

**Thanks to my reviewers**

**moonwafflestoeat, thecliquefan11, The Night's Wish, x-Beyond-B, TheAmateurArtist, Shibo26, C. Holywell-Black, and as always, KiriKatana :D**

**MTR:**

**Asking nicely (unlike this chapter),**

**Now, pwease, will you review?  
>I love you.<strong>

* * *

><p>Pulchitudinous<p>

"You Better Be Safe"

Matt stood incredibly still. The new information ran through his mind like a marathon and no matter what angle he thought about it it stayed the same.

Jinx was L's daughter, and there was no way around that. The creepy, almost rapist-like way, she looked at sweets, her obsidian hair, and even the way her hair fell on her head resembled him.

But, at the same time, she was so different from him. Her skin was incredibly tan, her eyes were shaped differently, her eyes were a different color, her face was softer, she was more delicate...

Matt shook his head. Thinking of Jinx fondly was one thing, but delicate was a whole other world. Jinx was a tank of a girl who could easily crush Matt, and anyone who wanted to call her behavior _delicate _would have to have been completely crazy.

Then again, Linda could crush him if she wanted to too, so maybe Matt was the one who was delicate.

"Why do I even care?" Matt asked himself.

"I don't know Matt, why do you care?" A voice said, shaking him from his thoughts.

"I'm sorry, what?" Matt asked, not realizing that he'd just voiced his thoughts aloud.

"You asked my why you cared, and I think I know why you do," Linda said, advancing toward him.

"Oh really now?" Matt replied, a sudden fury rising in him when he heard Linda's disgustingly sweet voice.

Linda ignored his condescending tone and continued, "I think you care because you don't want your idol to be related to someone so incredibly insane,"

"Where do you get off calling Jinx insane?" Matt fired quickly, noticing a vein pop in Linda's forehead.

"What do you mean by that?" Linda asked, taking a threatening step forward, "You listen here Matt, did you not hear anything I said about her mother? Insanity is hereditary,"

Matt raised his hand to stop her, "You know what, Linda? Insanity may be hereditary, but so is genius. You ever think of that?"

Linda looked like she'd been smacked in the face, "I'm just watching out for you, Matt," she said softly, her tone manipulative, "I just don't know what I'd do if you got hurt by her,"

Matt opened his mouth to say something but was suddenly cut off by a fit of hysterical laughter behind him. "Yeah," the voice said from behind him, "You better watch out, Matt, or Big Bad Jinx is going to blow your house down."

Matt turned around to see Mello on the ground, clutching his sides. Matt smiled and turned back to Linda, "Yeah, I sure hope she doesn't eat me, that would be a tragedy."

"Well, Matt," Linda humphed, "Don't come crying to me when your stupid decision gets you killed or something,"

"And he won't," Matt turned around to see Mello standing up, an odd stern expression playing onhis face, "Matt's a big boy, Linda, and he's sure old enough to handle his own decisions."

"Oh," Linda smiled, turning to the crowd, "Look here, it's Big Strong Mello to defend poor Mattykins, if he's so capable, why are you standing up for him?"

Mello took a threatening step towards Linda, "I'm only standing up for him because he's too big of a wuss to hit you,"

"I don't know if your mommy taught you this, Mello, but you don't hit girls."

"Yeah, I believe that alright," Mello said, taking another step toward Linda, "But he's also too big of a dumbass to realize that you're not a girl. Girls are sugar, spice, and everything nice. You? You're less than dog vomit, and there's nothing stopping me from hitting that," Mello said, taking another step forward. Linda squeaked and fell backwards and Mello backed off.

"But," Mello said lightly, turning and walking away, "I guess I'm too mature for all of this little kid stuff, c'mon Matt, let's ditch before the dog vomit tells a grown-up."

Matt nodded and followed immediately, "Hey," he said once he'd caught up with Mello, "What was that about?"

"If there's anything that annoys me more than Jinx and people, it's _her._" Mello replied, walking forward, "So where do you think she scrambled off to?"

"What?"

"Where do you think she scrambled off to?"

"You're going to help look for her?"

"Well, I promised I'd help find her before, and we didn't _really _find her, so now I guess I'll have to finish helping you, right?"

"Yeah, but,"

"But what? I said I'd help you find her, and I meant what I said."

"Thanks," Matt replied, "I owe you one,"

"I think you owe me a few, especially once I successfully eradicate the Linda Infestation,"

"I thought she was dog vomit?"

"Then we have a lot of dogs barfing around here, I'll tell you that. I can't even walk ten steps without running into one of her stupid little followers," Mello huffed.

Matt laughed and opened the door inside. They hadn't even walked ten steps before they almost ran into Linda's best friend, Effie.

"Speak of the devil," Mello said harshly, and Matt giggled.

"Look at you two," Effie remarked, "Giggling down the hallway like a bunch of little girls,"

"It's nice to see you too, Effie," Matt replied. He wasn't sure who he hated more, Effie or Linda.

"Well, I need your help, so don't waste my time,"

"After a nice please like that I find your request just impossible to decline," Mello replied.

Effie snorted, "I need help finding your dumb little friend, Jinx," she turned to Matt, "And seeing as you already made one wrong decision to spend even a second of time with her, I figured you'd know where she is,"

"Why do you need her?" Matt asked defensively.

"Roger needs her after that childish stunt she pulled today," Effie replied easily, "I hope she gets in a boatload of trouble."

"Tough luck," Mello replied.

"We simply cannot tell you where she is," Matt added, taking a step past Effie.

"Hold up, dumbass," Effie said, pulling Matt's arm, "You better tell me where she is,"

"Look, lady," Matt addressed, ripping his arm away from her, "I seriously can't tell you where she is. We don't even know, what do you think we're doing?"

Effie let go and sighed, "Fine, you guys are pansies. You best tell me where she is if you find her." Effie warned, walking away in a huff.

"I certainly don't plan on telling her," Matt said once she was out of earshot.

"Me either, I'd never help that devil-woman,"

Matt laughed, "You haven't spent much time with her - she's worse than the devil. In fact, I'm pretty sure that every time she wakes up in the morning, the devil pees his pants a little bit."

Mello laughed and the two continued to walk down the hallway, as far away as possible from Linda, Effie, and all the other barfing dogs.

* * *

><p>Matt sighed. He and Mello had just finished checking the last of all the ventilation systems. Matt yawned and melted against the wall, sitting on the floor.<p>

"Why is this so difficult?" Matt whined.

"Most people don't pick Waldo to be their friend," Mello replied sitting on the wall opposite of Matt.

"I don't know how I found her in the first place, accident I suppose," Matt replied.

"She is the type of person you find on accident,"

Suddenly, a light bulb went off in Matt's head, "The piano room!" He said loudly, "That's where she's got to be!" He finished, getting up and exiting the hallway.

"Why does the right answer always have to be the last one we guess?" Mello moaned, following him begrudgingly.

Matt scrambled outside and opened the window on the ground he remembered looking through the first day. He hit his stomach hard as he crashed to the ground and threw the window open. Sure enough, the same delicate piano playing he heard that day so many weeks ago was playing.

For a moment Matt melted out all other sounds and focused on the sound of the piano. It was the same, beautiful but painful. The music entertwined with his soul again and he felt himself slipping, slipping, and slipping into the music until _thud._

_Real _physical pain filled his body and Matt opened his eyes to see that he'd fallen through the window. Matt lifted an arm and put it over his chest, feeling a sudden shooting pain in his ribs. Matt shut his eyes tightly and rolled onto his side, breathing heavily.

Matt looked up when he heard Mello curse to see Mello skillfully jump through the window and bend down next to him, "You're just like a cat," he said through the pain, "You know that?"

"And you're a real dumbass," Mello said, looking at his side, "You know that?"

Matt started to giggle but stopped when a the shooting, fire-hot pain came back in his ribs, "What's the story, doc?" He asked Mello playfully.

"You probably have a few bruised ribs," Mello said, rolling Matt back over, "But I'm pretty sure you'll be fine,"

"Go get Jinx," Matt said quickly, remembering the piano, "She probably climbed through a vent on the other side, that's how I missed her before."

"All right," Mello said, getting up, "But don't count on me catching her, I can barely fit through the vents."

Matt laid on the floor for a half an hour, trying to place his thoughts around the pain and move his focus to something else. After half an hour Mello showed up, his face red and sweaty, emptyhanded.

"Sorry, bro," Mello huffed, "I couldn't catch her."

"Well, I guess that's what happens when you try to force an accident, right?"

Mello smiled and lifted Matt up, supporting most of his weight on his shoulder. Matt grunted in pain, but continued walking toward the hospital.

"How did you know that I had a bruised rib?" Matt asked as they walked toward the orphanage's hospital.

"I've seen my fair share of them," Mello replied easily.

"When?"

Mello was quiet for a few minutes, "Did L talk to you about something?" He asked after a few moments.

"Yeah," Matt replied, "He asked me if I wanted to go do some work off campus, like detective stuff."

"That's where," Mello replied carefully, "I know L would never intentionally put us in danger, but that's just what happens a lot of the time. I've broken a few bones, and definitely gotten my fair share of scrapes and bruises."

"Oh," Matt replied, lightly concerned, "But you don't have to actually go off campus a lot, right? It's mostly computer stuff, right?"

Mello was quiet again for a long time. "I didn't want to tell you like this or anything, but that's where I'm going. I'm leaving to go on another mission or whatever you'd like to call it soon,"

"How soon?"

"The day after tomorrow,"

Matt was quiet this time. He didn't know what to say or how to react, "This one's not too dangerous or anything, right?"

Mello laughed, opening the door to the infirmary, "Are you going to propose or something, Matt?"

"No, this is legitimate, Mello, don't joke. Are you going to be alright?"

Mello's face turned serious, "Yeah, I've investigated serial murders before and that stuff is pretty scary, but this time it's just some alleged opium stuff going on a few towns over. I won't even be forty-five minutes away, I'm just staying there in case."

Matt sighed in relief as the nurse noticed him, immediately rushing over, "What did you two do?" She said, concerned, "Get in this bed Matthew, you boys need to learn how to be more careful! Now where is Jinx? She must have had some sort of hand in this," the nurse said, rushing Matt into a bed.

"Nah, Greta," Matt said casually, "We were just looking for her and I fell,"

Mello laughed from the corner, "Yeah, we promise," he said, walking toward the door, "It was completely Matt's fault."

Matt gave Mello a warning glance, "You better come back in one piece," he called after him.

"Don't worry, Mom," Mello called as he exited the door, "I'll be back before you know it."

* * *

><p><strong><em>"She went out and got lost in a tall-hedge maze. Where'd you go? Where'd you go? Why'd you leave this place?" - The Paper Kites, Featherstone<em>**

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks all for stickin' with me for yet another late chapter!<strong>

**So, now, the question of the week is:**

**What's your 11:11 11/11/11 wish?**

**Mine's a little selfish...**

**"I wish I don't get sued for forgetting last weeks disclaimer!"**

**;)**

**See you in a week!**


	10. Missing In Action

**BEFORE I SAY HELLO, I have an announcement.**

**So, responding to a reviewer, perhaps some of how have pondered drawing Jinx.**

**Or perhaps you've pondered writing a song about her, or creating some delicate little macaroni artwork or sculpture, or something else of that nature.**

**So, you are very welcome to do so.**

**You don't even have to share it with me, although why you wouldn't I do not know.**

**I have also pondered drawing her, but that's really up to you. I wouldn't even show you till the end of the story out of fear of ruining it, and frankly, I'd probably have to dedicate 20562085 hours to improving my crappy drawing skill.**

**Anyways, tell me what you think.**

**NOW THAT THAT'S OVER WITH,**

**Hello **_**divine **_**readers!**

**Isn't divine just a divine word? It's easily my second favorite word, as you all have probably figured out.**

**I'm a total cheese ball, as a guy friend of mine once said, "I'm cornier than ethanol and cheesier than provolone,"**

**He's so cute.**

**BUT WHY AM I CORNY you may ask, well, because I love old language. Thou, etc, the whole works. I think it's romantic.**

**Chyeah. And divine sounds all oldy and awesome.**

**Anyways, I said second favorite word, didn't I? Because my favorite word is smut. It's so fun to say. It's not the most **_**pleasing **_**word out there, but it's pretty darn fun to say, eh?**

**ANYWAYS, I'll quit my rambling. Half of you don't even bother skimming this stuff.**

**In that case, I'll give you people who actually read this junk a treat called the:**

**MTR:**

**Force! Muwahhahahahahah.**

**-reaches hand through the monitor-**

**-grabs mouse-**

**-scrolls over the review button-**

**NOW FOR MY FINAL PLOT!**

**MWUawfrgaufgysafugsggws **** - ****Evil Laugh**

**-Puts finger over the left click button-**

**Scooby Doo Gang: NOT SO FAST!**

**Me: YOU MEDDLING KIDS!**

**Okay, that was lame and I know it. Cut me some slack. :)**

**Thanks to my reviewers:**

**TheAmateurArtist, x-Beyond-B, KiriKatana, and C. Holywell-Black.**

**Thanks much for reviewing :)**

**ON WITH THE STORY.**

* * *

><p>Pulchritudinous<p>

"Missing In Action"

_"I'll be back before you know it."_

He had said that almost two weeks ago. _Two weeks. _Matt turned over in his bed and looked at the empty bed beside him.

_This room is so empty, _Matt thought, scanning the room. _He hasn't checked in four days, _Matt turned over again and closed his eyes, trying to drown out his negative thoughts .

_He's okay, you're being dumb. Stop worrying about it, _Matt tried to coax himself, but he couldn't get Mello's words out of his head. _I've seen my fair share of scrapes and bruises, _he remembered Mello saying, and Matt shut his eyes tighter, _What if it wasn't alleged opium activity? What if it was cartel activity?_

Matt sat straight up. Serial killers were one thing, but the cartel was something entirely different. Matt tried to go over Mello's updates in his mind again and again, but none of them ever seemed to point to any danger... but then there was the last one.

Mello had said that he'd be home in a day or two, that he'd narrowed his suspect down to one person, and that he couldn't divulge any information about the case until he solved it.

But the thing that really worried Matt was that Mello had sent that message four days ago. _Something had to have happened to him, I just know it. _Matt shook his head and rested his head against the pillow again.

Matt tossed and turned for another half an hour before deciding that attempting sleep was useless. He turned and got out of bed, only knowing one person to go to.

He was just about to knock on Jinx's oak door when it slammed open and he crashed to the floor. A sharp pain went through his ribs again and he remembered that he was still healing. He groaned and looked up to see Jinx standing proudly with a very large boombox on her shoulder.

"What the heck are you doing now, Jinx?" Matt asked painfully, getting up while using the wall for support.

Jinx remained standing in her heroic position, not looking down at Matt, "Well, Matt," Jinx said loudly and superhero-like, "I have decided that I wish to save the world with my boombox."

Matt tried to shake the weirdness out of his head and then turned back to Jinx, "I'm sorry, ma'am, but have you lost it yet again?"

Jinx turned on him, a sudden fury in her eyes, "How dare you question Superhero Jinx!" She hollered, and Matt flinched at the volume, "But I must not waste time with civilians like you, I have an orphanage to save!"

"Civilian?" Matt asked, confused.

Jinx turned to him and looked him over. Then she let out a small whisper from the corner of her mouth, "Superheroes aren't supposed to fraternize with civilians, but,"

"Am I your special exception?" Matt asked, a cheesy smile growing exponentially on his face.

Jinx's superhero voice was back, "Not hardly, Matthew. It has just occurred to me that my important mission is in need of a sidekick, and since no one else is available I am willing to settle for you."

Matt's face immediately fell, "You have to settle for me?"

Jinx simply nodded, "Now, are you willing to be my sidekick?"

Matt's face continued to fall, "Why do you have to settle? Who else did you have in mind?"

"That's classified, but since I don't particularly dislike you, I'll tell you,"

Matt's face brightened, "Well, who was it? Somebody much stronger and cooler?"

"Yeah," Jinx said, back in her heroic stance.

"Well, that makes me feel a little better, who was it?"

Jinx was quiet for a moment, "Well, just about anybody else,"

Matt was pretty sure his frown hit the floor, "I mean, I was even going to go for Mello, as much as we disagree, he could crush you in one punch," Matt crumpled to the ground, "But, anybody could. I think you told me that _Linda _even beat you up once, is that for real?"

Matt was sitting in the fetal position in the middle of the hallway, rocking back and forth. "Y-you h-hate me," he blubbered.

Jinx's face softened a little and she bent down next to him, setting the boombox down, "Hey, c'mon, I was just joking,"

"Really?" Matt asked, his tone hopeful.

"Yeah, I mean, I only hate you a little bit,"

If Matt's face could have fallen further it would have, but his face turned expressionless, "You're unbelievable, you know that, right?"

"Eh," Jinx sighed, standing up and putting the boombox on her shoulder, "You in or you out? I think I've devised the perfect plan to make Linda _drop dead._"

Matt lifted himself up and stood next to her, "Y'know, I don't really think I have a choice, and secondly, what makes you think this plan is going to work?"

"Why what do you mean, Matt?" Jinx asked, taking her first heroic step forward.

"Well there's the fact that you've failed before,"

Jinx stopped in her tracks, her foot raised in the air, "I mean," Matt continued, "I'm pretty sure there's been a good fifty times in just this week,"

Jinx turned around quickly and stuck her face in Matt's, "Oh really now? Fifty times? Name _three,_"

"Well," Matt began, "On Monday alone you tried to run her over with a lawnmower,"

"That one was almost successful!" Jinx whined.

"Really?" Matt asked, "You ran over a sprinkler head,"

"Every plan has a few unexpected occurrences,"

"Which _we_ then spent the next four hours repairing,"

"Just a minor casualty in a fierce battle,"

"While Linda watched us sunbathing and drinking a nice glass of lemonade," Matt finished.

"Whatever," Jinx sighed, "You've still got two more to name."

"Easy," Matt replied, "Then there was the time you tried to put worms in her food,"

"That was successful!" Jinx hollered.

Matt scoffed, "Really? Because as I remember it, Linda noticed that you put worms in her pudding and switched it with yours, now is that a victory?"

Jinx lowered her head, "No,"

"And then," Matt continued, "You spent all evening trying to train pigeons to attack her,"

Jinx shuddered, "Don't mention the pigeons."

"Oh, that's right, isn't it?" Matt teased.

"Shut up, Matt," Jinx warned.

"As I remember, right as you were giving up the pigeons attacked you and I had to hose off all the... pigeon doo-doo off of you before Roger would let you come inside." Matt said, giggling.

"Shut up Matt," Jinx said, punching his shoulder hard, "As _I _recall, I gave you a nice pigeon hug afterwards and you had to take off all your clothes before _you _could come inside."

Matt shuddered and now Jinx was laughing, "Never minding our adventures," Matt said, taking a deep breath, "What makes you think this plan will work if all of _that _happened in one day? Don't even get me started on Tuesday,"

"Don't even talk about Tuesday," Jinx warned, "And after _his _visit, this thing with Linda is a vendetta,"

"Psh, if it wasn't a vendetta before what does a vendetta even mean to you?"

"It _means, _my dear Matthew, that I will_ kill _her, and then I will _eat _her."

Matt shook his head, "Now, Jinx, she isn't going to taste very good at all. On the outside she'll be too sweet and on the inside she'll be too sour,"

Jinx scrunched up her face, "Well, I suppose your right," she admitted, "Maybe we'll ask Roger for some seasoning."

"Yeah, because we'll have one easy time explaining that to him, you know," Matt said, following Jinx who'd begun to walk away.

"Yes, Matt, it will be pie,"

"Fine, but you can do all the talking,"

"Oh, really now? Well, I suppose Matt, because you've done all the work in the past," Jinx said, her voice dripping in sarcasm.

"Really? You want to debate who does more work in this relationship?" Matt asked, stopping.

"Yes, I do! Because, Matt, I'm always the one who has to debate with Roger,"

"And _I'm _always the one who takes the punishment!"

"Oh, you like punishment now Matt? I didn't know Mello was so rough,"

"I am not gay!"

"Is there something wrong with people who choose to mate with the same-sex?"

"No there's nothing - wait, did you just call being in a romantic relationship _mating?_"

"Yes, I did," Jinx responded easily, "Does that bother you? Do you like to mate?"

Matt shook his head, "Let's just stop, we were debating something entirely different, we were talking about who does more work, and I say I do,"

"Well, Matt, you are incredibly wrong."

"Oh really? Who fixed the sprinkler?"

"I did," Jinx responded confidently.

Matt let out a cry of frustration, "No you didn't!"

Jinx was about to open her mouth to rebuttal when the sound of light footfalls came from down the hallway. Matt looked over at her, "What do we do now?"

"I think the answer's pretty obvious Matt," Jinx replied, her voice low.

"Who do you think it is?" Matt asked.

"I don't know, but I don't think it matters. One thing is clear - RUN!" Jinx shouted, stealing off down the corridor. Matt immediately followed but found it incredibly hard to match her pace.

* * *

><p>Matt felt like he'd been running for hours when Jinx finally stopped. He stooped down, his hands on his knees, and began to breathe for what felt like the first time since they began running.<p>

"You should really breathe while you run," Jinx said, bending down to look at him, "Your cells need to respire to provide you energy for things like movement, and without oxygen they begin the process of lactic acid fermentation,"

Matt looked up at her disbelievingly, "And that _burns,_" she finished, stopping to lick her finger, put it on his arm, and then make a sizzling sound with her mouth for emphasis.

"Why aren't you breathing hard and how the hell do you know that if you can't count over a hundred? Were you lying?"

Jinx sighed, pushed Matt over, and then laid down next to him. "One, I'm not breathing hard because I actually get off the couch more than every once in awhile, and two, numbers and I just don't get along."

"You know more about science than I do and you're last," Matt pointed out.

"Did you look at that damn test? All of it is math. Even the science portion is math. I don't know if it has a name, but I can't put numbers together," Jinx paused, "But that doesn't matter, let's go, we still have a mission to accomplish!"

"And what kind of mission would that be?" A scary, echoing voice came from behind them.

Matt and Jinx immediately jumped up from the ground and turned around to see Roger behind them, sporting stripped pajamas, a nightcap, and one angry expression.

* * *

><p>With a loud thud Jinx deposited her boombox on the floor of Roger's office as he took a seat, "Well, you're looking nice tonight," Jinx said happily, patting her boombox.<p>

Matt shook his head, they'd just gone through an uncomfortably long, quiet walk to his office and now she was acting completely nonchalant? _Something is definitely wrong with her, _Matt thought, smiling.

"Why are you two looking so jovial?" Roger boomed, "Three in the morning I say! Out and about, three hours past _anyone's _curfew,"

"Hey," Jinx said, breaking his rant, "Are you seriously wearing a nightcap?" Matt smacked his forehead with his palm.

"Did you just ask me if I'm seriously wearing a nightcap?" Roger shouted, raising his arms in disbelief.

"Well yeah," Jinx said casually, staring at his nightcap, "I mean, I thought those were for like old people in movies, I didn't think anyone actually wore them."

Roger shook in anger, "Look," he said, his voice strained, "I'll deal with you, Jinx, in the morning. I can not fathom why in the world you would have a boombox with you, but you're going to leave it here," Roger finished and Matt and Jinx began to get up, "Not you, Matt," Roger clarified, "I have some business with you."

"Good luck ol' pal," Jinx told him, "And Roger, don't be too tough on 'im." Jinx finished, exiting the room, and Matt sat awkwardly as he waited to be alone with Roger.

Once the thick oak door had shut behind the sauntering Jinx, Roger turned toward Matt - a serious expression on his face.

"It wasn't my plan," Matt said defensively.

"This isn't about Jinx," Roger said gravely, his face aging every passing second, "It's about Mello."

"What about him?" Matt asked, suddenly wide awake and attentive, "Why couldn't Jinx be here? Did he die?"

Roger shook his head, "No, although he did spend a great deal of time discussing the matter," Roger said, shuffling through some papers on his desk, "Ah, here it is, his will. He insisted on revising it the second he became your friend," Roger finished, putting on his glasses.

"He has a will?" Matt asked disbelievingly.

"Yes," Roger said, "But I don't think that he was thinking he was going to die or anything, it's kind of his hobby,"

"What kind of person writes a will as a hobby?" Matt asked, "Is he that morbid?"

"Some people are in sports, others quilt, but Mello just likes to write his will," Matt raised his eyebrow, "But, here, in his most recent revision, he left everything to you and absolutely insisted that Jinx know nothing. He even said that if he were to die Jinx is not to be informed nor is she allowed to attend his funeral,"

"That's a little farfetched," Matt whispered.

"However," Roger said, taking off his glasses, "Back to what I am supposed to discuss with you."

Matt became attentive again and gazed at Roger, hoping for answers, "You are aware that he hasn't updated in a few days, correct?" Roger asked.

"Yes,"

"And L hasn't had contact with him in over twenty-four hours,"

"Yes," Matt confirmed.

Roger sighed, "We asked the townspeople, and they haven't seen him in a day or two either," Matt couldn't believe what he was hearing, "So we regret to inform you that Mello is officially a missing person."

Matt nodded, "So is L looking for him? And every other detective? How many people are searching for him?"

Roger sighed, "At this point nobody is searching for him."

Matt stood up quickly, "What do you mean nobody is searching for him? He's not even fifteen, he's not an adult! Where are the search dogs? Where's L?"

"L is busy with another case at the moment," Roger said quietly, "And local law enforcement is looking into it,"

"Local law enforcement?" Matt exclaimed, slamming his fist on the table, "They don't know anything! Anyone can become a cop anywhere! The cops _knew _that I was all alone after my father died, but they didn't do anything! Why isn't L looking for him? His number two should be more important than anything else at hand here!"

Roger rubbed his temples, "L's case right now has the ultimate priority, and Watari and I are also looking into it,"

"No you're not!" Matt shouted, "If you were looking into it you wouldn't have time to rest! You wouldn't have time to put on your little nightcap," Matt continued to shout, "If you cared about him you'd be dedicating every second to finding him!"

"Matt, I can assure you he isn't forgotten," Roger said and Matt turned around, walking toward the door.

"I know he isn't," Matt stated with conviction, "Because I'm going to take L up on his proposition. You can brief me in the morning," Matt informed Roger.

_Don't worry, Mello, _Matt thought, walking to his room, _I'm coming to get your dumb ass._

* * *

><p><em>"You know that I will save you, from all the unclean, I wonder what you're doing, I wonder where you are," - Blurry, Puddle of Mudd<em>

* * *

><p><strong>GUISE, it's our first major arc!<strong>

**Can you believe that? We've made it to ****our**** first major arc out of two.**

**It's like we're getting to the "L Meets the FBI" or whatever part of death note.**

**The second major arc is L(And Matt and Mello and Jinx and Near) vs. Kira.**

**So, tell me, which was your favorite?**

**L vs. Kira or Mello and Near vs. Kira?**

**Mine was Mello and Near because Mello and Near and Matt were in it.**

**:3**

**AND ALSO, would you like me to draw Jinx? Or would you prefer her image left up to interpretation, even after the story is over?**

**(I wouldn't release it until it was over, don't worry.)**

**Sastars429 out.**

**P.S. I do not own anything but, well, technically this entire story aside from Linda, Matt, Mello, Roger, L, Wammy's House, Scooby Doo, etc.**

**I mean, I even own freakin' Effie.**

**And I'm not proud of that.**

**At all.**

**Somebody kill me.**


	11. Sinister Enemies

**Hello divinely readers!**

**See my twist?**

**That's right. Be proud.**

**Probably didn't even make any sense.**

**BUT, IMPORTANT NEWS.**

**I've gotten a beta! -fireworks go off- ApatheticDreams. Hooray! (My leige will be helping me out with plotlines and such, so the story is top-notch!)**

**Unfortunately, this chapter is not beta'd. But that is entirely my fault. I didn't send the chapter until yesterday. Because I'm dumb. **

**SECONDLY, TheAmateurArtist drew me a picture of Jinx! Isn't that wonderful? However, I'm still awaiting permission to post it on le profile.**

**ANYWAYS, back on track.**

**(P.S. I have beta!)**

**MTR:**

**Annoying you.**

**Because I'm pretty good at that.**

**REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!**

**REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!**

**REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! **

**REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! **

**Just kidding, I'm only a little desperate.**

**As always, thanks to my reviewers!**

**KiriKatana, C. Holywell-Black, TheAmateurArtist, Almighty Caligula, HarryPotterMangaGleek, and my wondrous beta-chan ApatheticDreams.**

**Oi! I almost forgot.**

**I do not own death note. HA, you corporate psychos.**

* * *

><p>Pulchritudinous<p>

"Sinister Enemies"

Matt inhaled through his nose. The crisp, not-so-fresh scent of Jinx's armpit was caught right in his "breathing zone." "Uhm," Matt mumbled, realizing his newfound position sprawled on the ground under Jinx, "What are you doing?"

"Shh," Jinx whispered from above him, "My sources have informed me that you are in the process of being kidnapped,"

"Jinx, it's one-hundred percent consensual," Matt tried but Jinx ignored him.

"I mean, Roger was telling me that you were attempting to run into the crossfire all by yourself,"

"Again, a decision made by myself," Matt notified again, but Jinx didn't take any notice.

"So, I thought to myself, "Now, why in the world would Matt try to go do something so dangerous without the help of Superhero Jinx?" Jinx continued, more musing to herself now than to Matt.

"Jinx, I hope you don't plan on coming with me,"

"So, I thought about it some more and I concluded that you _must _be being kidnapped, because I simply know you're not that stupid to go somewhere dangerous without me backing you up."

"Because I'm not letting you come with me," Matt added sternly.

Jinx turned to him suddenly, "You can't stop me, Matt."

Matt sighed and Jinx got up off of him. Matt began to sit up when Jinx sat down on his chest again, resting her elbows on her knees. Matt let out a small cry of agony and looked up at her. He'd never seen her in such deep, serious thought before. "Well," Matt replied, speaking up, "I know _I_ can't stop you. _You_ can crush me, but we're eleven. You still have to listen to Roger."

Jinx's face brightened, "Well, Matt, then I think I have an idea, and you're going to help me."

Matt groaned, _here we go again._

* * *

><p>"So, Matt," Jinx addressed between bites, "You think you got a plan yet?"<p>

Matt stared at the girl munching on an entire dinner ham like it was ordinary, "Excuse me, Miss Jinx, but I thought you had an idea?"

"I did," Jinx assured, taking another ravenous bite of the ham, "Step one: get ham to stimulate creativity."

"What's step two then?"

Jinx's expression turned deflated, "Well, step one didn't work out so well," she said sadly, "I thought the ham would stimulate an idea for step two."

"Well, I never thought of pigs as the active type, so I don't understand why they would stimulate ideas," Matt said softly, following Jinx through the hallway.

The two were just passing a poster that advertized that there was a direct link to school performance and extra-curricular activities when Jinx shouted, "Stop!" She flung her arm in the air, smacking Matt in the face with her ham, when she declared, "I've just gotten an idea."

Matt wiped off the disgusting honey-glaze ooze from his face. "Is it the poster?"

Jinx looked at him with a perplexed expression, "What poster?" She asked. Matt mentally smacked his palm to his face and pointed to the poster.

"I'm a genius, Matt!" Jinx shouted suddenly, dropping the ham, "Look at this poster!"

"Yeah, just genius," Matt muttered under his breath.

"Follow me!" Jinx shouted, dropping her ham in the hallway and running through the corridor, "I have an excellent idea!"

* * *

><p>Matt paced outside the door, tenderly rubbing his sore nose. Jinx had run directly to her room, without a break, and just as he was about to enter she had slammed the door shut, right in his face.<p>

_I hope she's out of there soon; Mello could be in serious trouble. The sooner Roger tells her "no", the sooner I get to leave, _Matt thought restlessly as he continued to pace.

When the door finally opened, Matt wasn't the least bit suprised by Jinx's attire, probably because she always looked nothing less than outrageous. "Jinx, ma'am, why are you wearing a tuxedo?" Matt asked when Jinx finally exited her room.

"Why, Matthew," Jinx said, putting on a fake mustache and monocle, "Because people take sophisticated people more seriously, and, well, I'm wearing a mustache because mustaches are also pretty cool."

"Well, not to point out any flaws or anything," Matt started uneasily, "But wouldn't a dress make you look more sophisticated?"

Jinx gave him the death stare and Matt flinched a little, "Matt, now why in the world would I wear a dress?" Jinx growled, advancing, "_Linda_ wears dresses."

Matt was unsure of what to say, but was saved by a voice behind them, "Yes,_ I _do, because they're more_ feminine_. Not that you would know anything about femininity." Matt turned around and flinched a little. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't absolutely _wet-the-bed_ terrified of Linda.

"Look here, Matt," Jinx shouted suddenly, "Here comes the harlot of the orphanage!"

"I think I just peed a little," Matt squeaked quietly from behind Jinx as he used her as a human Linda-shield.

"Clever, Jinx," Linda replied, ignoring Matt's comment, "Because calling me a harlot is something you haven't done before or anything."

"Just because I say it multiple times doesn't mean it loses any truth," Jinx shot back, "Well, Matt, we best be going. Y'know, before any of her presence kills my mustache."

"I don't think that a mustache can be killed," Matt said quietly, trying to ignore Linda.

"I don't think that you really want to take that risk," Jinx said easily, "I mean, do you?" She asked, walking down the corridor.

"No!" Matt said distinctly, "The mustache will serve its purpose." He finished, starting after her.

"Ahem," Linda coughed from behind them, "Not to ruin your fascinating conversation or anything, but, hey, you don't happen to be on your way to Roger's office right now, are you?"

Jinx turned around suddenly, "What are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing really," Linda said as she turned around, "I just have an idea that the next few days are going to be a little rough for you is all," she finished, walking down the corridor.

"Who was she talking to?" Matt asked once Linda was out of earshot. "Me or you?"

"I don't really know," Jinx said, scratching her head, "But does it really matter? We have a more important mission!" Jinx declared, starting the opposite way towards Roger's office.

Matt stood still for a moment, trying to ponder what Linda could have been talking about. _The next few days are going to be a little rough for you is all_, Matt thought. _What could that even mean?_

Matt shook his head and decided to forget about it. It wasn't worth too much thought anyway. He turned his head around to see that Jinx had rounded the corner at the end of the long corridor, "Hey!" He called after her, "Wait up!"

Matt ran after Jinx blindly and ran right into her - sending them both crashing to the ground. Matt landed on top of her and she groaned.

Matt looked up and noticed that he was pinning Jinx to the floor. He blushed more than a few shades of red and immediately stood up, offering her a hand.

Jinx got up and moved her monocle back into place, "You okay, Matt?"

"What?" Matt asked, slightly confused.

"You're blushing like an idiot," Jinx informed him while wiping off her pants. "You should really look where you're going."

"You're just jealous because I was able to pin you down!" Matt cried defensively.

Jinx turned around, a monstrous glare in her eye. "You really want to test that theory?"

Matt gulped, "Not really," he answered softly, "But, uh, Jinx,"

"What is it, pipsqueak?" Jinx replied testily.

"Well, your mustache is kind of on your forehead." Matt whispered quietly.

"Eh," Jinx shrugged, suddenly calm, "Maybe that's where it's meant to be."

"Did you seriously just wonder if a mustache was meant to be on your forehead?" Matt asked.

"Did you seriously just ask me if I was serious?" Jinx returned.

"You're never serious, so how would I know?"

"Matt," Jinx started seriously, "I never joke."

"Oh, hush you," Matt ordered, pulling Jinx toward him, "This is going to bother me all day if I don't fix it."

"Oh, I see how it is," Jinx replied, smiling, "He likes to be in control."

"What?" Matt asked, "That's not what this is about!"

"Do you have some weird fantasy about me, Matt?" Jinx asked, purposely making him uncomfortable.

"Shut up, you," Matt said, yanking off the mustache from her forehead with a sickening _rip._

"Ouch!" Jinx exclaimed, reaching a hand to tenderly feel her forehead.

"Sorry," Matt muttered, lining it up on her upper lip.

"'S okay, Matt," Jinx said, her signature smile returning, "I know about your sadistic ways."

"Ugh," Matt groaned, sticking the mustache on her face, "I just can't win with you."

"Now you want to win, too?" Jinx started, laughing, "You're really into these fantasies," she joked, clutching her sides as she laughed.

Matt shook his head, grabbed her arm, and pulled the laughing girl through the hallways. "I think you're the one with a sickness," Matt informed her as he pulled her through the hallway.

"Oh, really now?" Jinx asked between giggles, "What makes you say that?"

"I bet that you're the one with some freaky fantasy," Matt accused, walking toward Roger's office.

Suddenly they stopped walking as Jinx stopped in her tracks. Matt was yanked backwards as he tried to keep walking forward. He turned around to see Jinx with her catlike smile growing steadily on her face.

Jinx was silent for a few moments. "Jinx?" Matt asked, lightly concerned.

"How did you know?" Jinx asked scarily.

Matt stepped backward, "W-what? I was just joking..."

"Oh," Jinx said, laughing, "That's what I meant... a joke."

Matt shuddered, "What kind of fantasy is this? Is it some twisted world where you cut me open and then feed me my intestines?"

"Do you even know how long your intestines are?"

"Uh, no," Matt replied uneasily, clutching his stomach protectively.

"Well, Matthew," Jinx said, taking a step toward him, "They're about 27 feet long, combined, and let's just say that if I were to feed you your intestines it would basically just be an endless cycle of intestine. I think I'd rather feed you your stomach acid," Jinx smiled, walking past him, "Or maybe these delicious kidneys." She finished, poking him in the back, right next to his kidneys.

"Jinx," Matt said shakily from behind her, "You don't like the taste of kidneys, do you?"

"I suppose I'd try anything once," she responded, and Matt gulped, "But, this was just a joke, right?" Jinx asked, turning around to wink at him.

"Somehow that only makes me feel worse," Matt groaned from behind her, but continued to follow her to Roger's office.

They continued to walk, Matt always a few cautious steps behind Jinx, until they reached their destination. "This tall, menacing, dark oak door stands between us and fate," Jinx said softly.

"What are you, a poet now?" Matt asked out of the corner of his mouth.

"You know nothing about me, Matt. I was an astronaut, a surgeon, a successful writer/poet, a NASA scientist, and a cannibal all by the time I was ten," Jinx said proudly.

"A cannibal?" Matt asked, a little worry in his tone.

"I'm sorry; did I say that out loud?" Jinx asked and Matt nodded slightly, "My bad, but do you have the poster?"

Matt nodded and held the poster out to her at an arm's length, "Here - don't hurt me."

Jinx swiped it from him and rapped on the door, "My dear Mr. Ruvie, have I a proposition for you!" She pitched loudly and confidently through the door.

"The answer is "no", Jinx." Roger's cold, unyielding voice spoke through the door.

Instead of being discouraged, Jinx barged through the door. "Hello, Mr. Ruvie," she greeted loudly, "It's good to see you again. I see that you have a new ant farm on your desk," she pointed out happily.

Roger immediately snatched it from his desk and put it in a drawer where it would be secure from the marauding Jinx. "I was hoping I wouldn't see you for another week." He replied harshly.

"Well, I got off vacation early," Jinx responded easily, letting his harshness roll off her tough skin, "Those padded rooms are in high demand - it's impossible to get one for more than a few nights these days."

"I can imagine," Roger replied, not even slightly amused by her comment.

"Anyways," Jinx said, her announcer voice back, "I present you this poster." She said, unrolling the poster with a swift jerk of her wrist.

"What about it?" Roger asked, clearly uninterested.

"As you can see here it states that extra-curricular activities improve school performance."

"I can read," Roger replied grumpily.

"And you are aware that my test scores are rather low," Jinx continued.

"Extremely low," Matt added from the corner.

"Yes, I'm painfully aware." Roger answered.

"So," Jinx continued, sending a glare Matt's way, "I was thinking that I could join Matt here -"

"No." Roger responded, cutting her off. "I don't care how much your test scores will improve, how crazy you'll go, or how lonely you'll be. The answer is "no." Now get out." Roger said, ushering them out of his office.

Jinx looked at both of them, her look heartbroken. "Matt, you're not seriously going on an adventure without me, are you?"

"I'm deeply sorry," Roger said quietly, his tone softening. Only, his soft tone seemed to make everything more sad rather than reassuring.

"Me too," Matt said, inspecting his feet with a newfound curiosity, "But goodbye, Jinx. I'll be back before you know it." He finished, shuffling his feet on the shaggy carpet. He didn't dare look up - out of fear of seeing her heartbroken eyes.

Outside of Roger's office Linda and Effie squatted on the ground next to each other, ears peeled for the voices that came through the thick oak door. Effie stared at Linda, her expression uncertain as Linda strained to hear any sound.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Effie asked softly, "If there are any mistakes..."

"Then there won't be any mistakes," Linda whispered harshly, "I know exactly what she's going to do next."

Effie shifted uncomfortably on the floor, staring at her shoes, "Look, Linda, I understand your hatred of her, but is this necessary?"

Linda looked over at her, a soft expression crossing her eyes, "Effie, if you aren't committed I can easily find someone else to do the honor."

"I'm committed," Effie piped up immediately, "You have no reason to doubt me, and I just wanted to be sure that you were certain."

Linda smiled a vicious smile, "Don't worry, Effie," she said reassuringly, "I am 100 percent positive that our plan to eradicate the Jinx infestation will be a success before the _disease _spreads further."

Effie swallowed hard, the words stuck in her mind like tape. There was no doubt about Linda's plans, she knew for a fact that Linda fully intended to _eradicate the Jinx infestation _permanently.

Her trap was set.

* * *

><p><em>"And the coastline is quiet, while we're quietly losing control, yes, we're silent but sure we invented the cure, that will wash out my memories of her," - I Will Play My Game Beneath The Spin Light, Brand New<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Hooray for another chapter!<strong>

**So, my question this week actually relates to the story,**

**What do you think of Linda? Muwhahaha.**

**As always, thanks to the reviewers and my dear beta (who I deeply apologize to and promise to give a week to Beta this time).**

**Shanks,**

**Sastars429**


	12. Matt's Lead

**Why hello there!**

**(Ahem, I didn't say divine there, now did I?)**

**THIS CHAPTER FEELS A WEEK LATE, it feels like I haven't updated in two weeks. Long week I suppose, however, I am very glad that it is Friday.  
>ITS FRIDAY, FRIDAY, EVERYBODY GET DOWN ON FRIDAY!<strong>

**That's honestly my favorite song. I don't like how it sounds, nor do I like the lyrics, but I absolutely love the looks upon my friend's faces when I sing it while I do crappy pushups in gym class. (I did 3 today! Be proud.)**

**Wha?**

**TIME TO THANK THEE REVIEWERS:**

**ApatheticDreams, limegreenwordmachine, KiriKatana, TheAmateurArtist, HarryPotterMangaGleek, Micky Moon, and WolfishMoon.**

**IN RESPONSE TO A FEW REVIEWERS:**

**I'm glad that you have enjoyed the stories… and I'm glad that it didn't live up to your expectations… y'know, because you expected it to flop… that just sounded weird to me. Anyways, A HI FROM MY BETA!**

**She just finished last chapter, because I'm a very late person. I haven't even sent her this version of this chapter yet.**

**Heh..heh… SURPRISE!**

**(*waves to everyone***

**Hiya~ ApatheticDreams here~**

**Haha this story is gonna slow down a bit 'cos of my slow beta-reading skills, but have no fear! Chapters will continue to come out. I hope…o.o**

**Just a hi in general ^^ And for the sake of me and Sastars, please review~ )**

**Great chapter overall. I look forward to chapter 12. I hope I did an okay job…;A;**

**~ApatheticDreams^^**

**Now that all of this rambling is finally over,**

**MTR:**

**Shock factor ~~**

**SO GUISE, GUESS WHAT!**

**You guys: What?**

**MATT'S PREGNANT.**

**-You will now review just to voice your concerns over Matt's pregnancy-.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Pulchritudinous<p>

"Matt's Lead"

Matt paced around the small, cramped one-room shack he'd been given to live in, occasionally stopping to glide his hand over the two protruding items in his pocket. However, barely noticed the run-down shack he was living in. He didn't care that the place smelled of animals or that he'd probably die from the mold or something, he just cared about_ time_.

_It's been a whole week, _Matt took a few steps forward and then stopped, discovering that there wasn't any more room left to pace, _a whole week and not a single lead._

It certainly didn't help that Mello hadn't left a single clue or lead for him to go by. Matt had been through Mello's belongings a hundred times - and still, there wasn't a single hint about anything even remotely related to the investigation.

In fact, the place had been so full of garbage from some local Chinese takeout place Matt had hardly found any of Mello's belongings. The only things he actually unearthed from Mello's practically inhospitable quarters were his rosary, a pair of muddy boots, and a Swiss army knife.

Matt felt his pocket from the outside again, making sure that Mello's rosary and knife were still with him. Matt wasn't an overly sensitive person, but he still liked having a few of Mello's things on him, even if he wasn't too big on religion ever since his father died.

Matt sighed, taking a look at the local town map that was pinned to the wall. He'd been just about everywhere. _Where can I even go on a Sunday? _Matt thought to himself. Everyone was in church, and all businesses were closed.

_I could always go talk to the Minister, _Matt thought to himself but decided against it. He'd seen the Minister at the hospital already when he went to check if Mello had been checked in anonymously. The Minister had been very anxious it had seemed and responded shortly to all of Matt's questions.

Matt shook his head and thought some more. The Minister had to have heard a dozen horrible things through confession, and knowing that many secrets would make anybody anxious around a detective.

Matt shuddered suddenly. The word didn't sound right in his head at all. _Detective. _He felt like he was replacing Mello, even though he knew that no such thing would ever happen. Even if he actually wanted to replace Mello as number two he would have one hell of a fight for it. Something about that thought made Matt feel a little better, there was no way to ignore the fact that Mello was a fighter.

Matt sighed again, shook out the thoughts of replacing Mello, and sat down on the corner of his lumpy bed. _There has to be some logical, obvious explanation to it all, _Matt thought to himself, _every riddle has an answer._

_Matt thought hard. He knew he was close; it was as if he couldn't almost see Mello, but the lens in his memory couldn't quite focus. Everything was blurry and Matt knew that he was slowly losing Mello. _Matt shook his head again and slammed his fist against the small end table next to his bed. "I need some air," he said to himself, trying to drown out the thoughts of losing Mello with his own voice, and exited the small shack promptly. The four walls of the shack felt like bars in a cell that were keeping him from finding the answer.

The first thing that he noticed when he walked outside was the rolling green hills of the village, the very first thing he _always_ noticed whenever he went outside. He almost couldn't believe that he was only forty-five minutes from home, where Jinx destroyed almost any sign of beauty that dared to try and inhabit the place. Then he always began to remember. He remembered that the village wasn't beautiful at all - this was the horrific place that had stolen his best friend.

_Stop, _Matt commanded himself, _stop thinking like that._ He couldn't allow himself to think that way. At least not yet, he absolutely refused to until he had exhausted all options. Matt sighed and began to walk; he knew where he had to go. He may dislike even the very idea of even talking to the Minister, but he knew that the Minister might just be the only one who knew anything about Mello.

Matt was halfway down the village's road when he heard a familiar voice from behind him. "Hey, Mike," the voice called out to him, "Wait up!"

Matt sighed and turned around; he already knew who it was. He could probably recognize Clara's voice from several miles away because it was easily more annoying than nails on chalkboard. He'd met Clara when he first went to talk to the Mayor, she was his daughter. He'd ushered her away as soon as Matt had walked through the door, and Matt soon found out why when Clara had tried to talk to him afterwards. Most people would gladly refer to her as the Village Idiot. "Hi Clara," he greeted, a fake smile plastered on his face, "Church over with?"

"Don't you own a clock, silly goose?" She asked him, nearly spilling the contents of a pale blue bucket she was holding, "It's at least a few hours past mass already."

"Well, actually, there isn't a clock where I'm staying." Matt replied snottily.

"That seems kind of dumb, I mean, you should always know what time it is." Clara continued, oblivious to his tone.

"Well, I don't," Matt said, getting irritated, "Is the Minister free for the rest of the day?"

"Depends which one you're looking for," Clara said, setting her bucket down to put a hand on her chin, "The regular one, Father Gladstone, was sick today."

Matt stole a glance inside Clara's bucket to find at least dozen tadpoles. "What's wrong with him?" Matt asked, deciding to ignore the tadpoles, knowing it was probably the right thing to do with Clara around.

"Don't you have ears, Martin? I said he was sick." Clara answered, suddenly losing interest in the conversation to stare at her tadpoles.

"Don't you have ears? My name's _Matt_," he mumbled under his breath.

"What?" Clara asked.

"Nothing, anyways, I meant to ask what his symptoms are." Matt clarified, smiling to hide his remark.

"Oh, that's easy," Clara said, "I think he has a fever, his poor bones and muscles are sore and aching, and he barely had enough energy to get out of bed. So, instead, he had one of his minister friends from the next town over take over for the day."

"Weird," Matt noted to himself, "Do you think he'll mind if I pay him a visit?"

"Not at all," Clara smiled, "In fact, since you're going could you take this chicken soup to him? That's where my mom was sending me, but I have much more important things to do," she said, pulling a jar of chicken soup out of her backpack.

"Sure," Matt said, taking the soup, "Thanks Clara."

"Wait, Malcolm," Matt rolled his eyes, "Could you take Polliwog with you?"

"What? You want me to take one of the tadpoles?" Matt asked, staring at her in disbelief.

"No, of course not!" Clara said, reaching her hand into the bucket, "I want you to take _her,_" she clarified, pulling out a very large, very fat, very ugly frog.

"You named a frog _tadpole_?" Matt asked, trying to maintain his distance from the obese frog.

"Yeah," Clara said, absolutely beaming at the frog, "I thought it was cute."

"So I suppose you're going to name your children 'kiddo'?" Matt inquired.

"Oh no, of course not," Clara responded happily, placing the frog on the ground, "I'm going to name my son Toolio and my daughter Tatem."

Matt was silent with his mouth open wide for a good ten seconds. "Anyways," he said abruptly, turning on his heel, "I better get this soup to the poor Minister before he gets any worse. Toodle-oo!"

"How did you guess my second son's name?" Clara asked, astounded.

"Uh," Matt said, turning around, "It was really just luck I suppose."

Clara smiled, "Okay then!" She said happily, "Sorry that I have to leave Polliwog with you, it's just that in the span of our conversation she ate five of the tadpoles," Clara explained, turning around, "See you around, Magnus!" She said, running off, her bucket of tadpoles clambering at her side.

Matt sighed and looked at the frog that was now sitting to his right, "Can you believe that?" He asked the frog once Clara was a decent distance away, "Magnus. She changed my name from _Matt_ to _Magnus_. My name doesn't even have half of those letters in it!"

The frog just looked at him with a blank expression, "I know, I know," Matt continued, "I don't have it nearly as bad as you, Miss Polly." This time the frog responded with _ribbit _and then stuck out its tongue to snag a nearby bug.

Matt picked the frog up and put it in his shirt pocket. He walked slowly, the soup cradled in his right arm. "What's your take on this whole sickness thing, Polly?" Matt asked the frog after awhile. "I mean, if you ask me, I'm wondering if this is no ordinary bug the Minister's got."

Matt continued to walk along toward the church while Polliwog responded with ribbits to his meaningless questions. He walked slowly, trying to buy his time and decide if it was really a positive decision to make or not. He stumbled and kicked little pebbles, but he arrived at the church all too soon.

"So, here it is," Matt announced to Polliwog when they reached the white building that was the church. "In all its religious glory, you know. It's hard to find a place that even comes close to being as nice as a church," Matt added uneasily, "You know, I always feel welcome in places like these." Polliwog responded with another _ribbit._

"You know just what to say to make a boy feel special," Matt gushed over-enthusiastically, trying to act his nerves away. "I'm not nervous or anything, Polliwog. Don't you dare believe that for one second now."

Matt stared at the church. He wanted to run – he wanted to hide. Something about churches always instilled an element of fear in his heart. The faded white wood of the building looked like rotting teeth that would chew him to pieces, the stained glass resembled piercing eyes, and then there was the door.

The door resembled a whole new problem for him. The door was the entrance into the belly of the beast; it was, ironically, the personified gates of hell and uncertainty. Inside he never knew what he'd find. When he was little the villagers had given him cookies and treats whenever he attended church, but as he grew older things started to change. Villagers sent him accusing glances and stuck their feet out of the aisles to trip him. His father, the supposed loving Minister, directed his sermons toward Matt. He always stared directly at him when he recited the Ten Commandments, the sixth one always burning in Matt's mind like it had been branded there when he was born.

_Thou shalt not kill._

Matt took a deep breath rested his hand on the door and pushed it inward a little bit. "You know what, Polliwog?" Matt announced suddenly, "Maybe I shouldn't disturb the poor Minister; I think I'll leave the soup out here for him to get later." Matt sighed and turned slightly away from the church, "Don't you think we should leave?"

Instead of responding with the usual _ribbit _Polliwog jumped out of Matt's pocket and into the church. "Wait!" Matt called after the frog, "Don't go in there!"

Matt stood outside for a moment and thought about leaving and just abandoning the frog. But then he thought about Clara's heartbroken face and decided against it. He slowly pushed open the door and looked inside, Polliwog was nowhere in sight.

"Polliwog?" Matt whispered as he stuck his head through the open door, "Where are you?" Matt strained his ears for a distant ribbit, but he didn't hear any sound.

Matt gulped and took a step into the church, slightly surprised that the world didn't implode. He was astonished that the sun didn't explode, that the earth didn't shatter beneath his feet, and that the roof didn't come crashing down. With a newfound confidence, Matt slowly strode further into the church. Everything was _okay._

Matt got down on his hands and knees and began to look between the pews. "Polliwog," he whispered, searching through the pews, "Oh Miss Polly," he called in a sing-song voice, "Where could you be?"

"Having some trouble, child?" A voice asked suddenly from behind him. Matt jumped and hit his head on a pew.

"Ouch," he groaned, rubbing his head, "I'm just looking for my..." Matt stopped, staring at Father Gladstone in awe. He'd looked very ill at the hospital, but Matt wasn't sure if he'd ever seen anybody so sick.

Father Gladstone was sickly pale and wobbled on a cane. His face had lines of fear and pain carved into it and his body looked as if it might collapse under even a feather. Matt felt that if he were to touch the Minister, he would crumble beneath his fingers into a small pile of dust onto the floor. The Minister was beyond sick, sick was a mild cold. Instead, the Minister looked simply _broken down. _The Minister was a car on the side of the road that seemed as if it had been out on its very last run.

"Your what, child?" The Minister asked kindly.

"Oh, uh, my frog!" Matt answered quickly, "I was outside the door dropping off some chicken soup - oh, here you go," Matt said, handing him the soup, "And he just jumped on in."

"Why thank you, is this from you?"

"Oh no, Clara's mother sent it." Matt explained, glancing around, doing anything to avoid looking at the Minister who was barely holding himself up with the help of a cane.

"Oh, please make sure to thank her for me, she's such a nice lady." Matt nodded. "Anyways, I think I saw a frog hop by just a few moments ago, I think it just hopped up by the podium." Matt nodded again and began to investigate around the podium.

* * *

><p>"Thank you sir," Matt said once he'd found the frog.<p>

"Anytime," the Minister replied with a smile, "Now, I don't mean to rush you off or anything, but do you mind if I get back to bed?"

"Actually yes," Matt said, trying to brew some confidence together like instant coffee, "I needed to ask you some questions regarding Detective Mello," Matt announced uneasily.

A look of anxiety passed through the Minister's eyes before it was quickly concealed. "Of course," the Minister said quickly, "I can imagine you've been asking just about everyone. I'd love to help you find that missing boy."

Matt smiled and took Polliwog to the bathroom where he put her in a sink with a little bit of water. When he exited the bathroom he found the Minister and sat across from him. "How well did you know him?" Matt asked first.

"He was in here most every day," Father Gladstone replied, "He often asked me if I knew anything about drug activity, he couldn't be in trouble with the cartel, now could he?" Father Gladstone inquired, sounding genuinely concerned.

Matt nodded, "So I heard you've been sick, Father Gladstone," Matt said awkwardly, trying to sound casual.

"Oh yes," the Minister replied, his tone off-balance, "I've had a lot of medical problems lately, but I'm sure I'll be over them soon enough, you have no need to worry."

"Oh," Matt said, trying to think of a way to keep the Minister talking, "What are your symptoms like?" Matt asked, feeling more like a doctor than a detective.

"Just the regular flu and fever stuff is all," the Minister replied, nonchalant, "I've got some aches and pains, a fever, chills, and I'm very tired. All I've got to do is sleep it off," the Minister said, yawning.

"Are you sure that's all?" Matt asked, "You look awful! It looks like you've lost weight and are in no state to even leave the bed!"

"No," the Minister said firmly, "It's just a cold and nothing more, I think you better go now so I can get some rest," he finished, gesturing Matt toward the door.

Suddenly, everything clicked in Matt's head. He understood why the Minister had been avoiding him, he'd finally found his missing piece. Everything had started to make sense. All of the things, all of the puzzle pieces, started to fit together – he finally understood why Mello was always around the church, why Mello had left his rosary in his room rather than leaving it on his neck, Mello had been trying to lead him there! Everything was not what it seemed, the perfect answer to every riddle.

"Yeah, I have to go anyway," Matt said, grabbing Polliwog out of the sink hurriedly, "It was nice talking to you, thank you for clearing all of that up for me!" He finished, rushing out the door.

The Minister hurried over to the door, "What do you mean by that?" He called after Matt, "What did I clear up for you?"

Matt heard the Minister but was too busy running back to his shack to reply. He had to talk to L and he had to talk to him _now_. He was running so fast that he could barely keep his legs from collapsing under him. Everything moved in a blur around him, he didn't notice the grass or the trees; all he noticed was the shack.

When he finally reached his temporary home he burst through the door and turned on the computer. He quickly took Polliwog out of his shirt pocket and put her on the table. Once his computer had turned on he quickly scrolled over and double-clicked on the icon to contact L.

"What do you have to report, Matt?" The synthetic voice sounded over less than a few seconds later.

"I have a lead," Matt responded confidently.

"Continue."

"I know the Minister knows something about the cartel and about Mello, if he's not directly responsible." Matt explained further, trying to get the words out faster than he could.

"Where's your evidence?" L asked skeptically.

"Father Gladstone has stage two syphilis, sir." Matt responded confidently, absolutely beaming with pride in his detective skills.

No voice came through the receiver, but Matt swore that he could hear the faint sound of a palm hitting a forehead.

* * *

><p>"<em>Don't turn out always, how we think. Will we be ready? I'm dying to know, what's in your head, I'm dying to know, how we all got in this," – 2-1, Imogen Heap<em>

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><p><strong>I hope you guys enjoyed!<strong>

**Question?**

**Of course.**

**Can you see Matt pregnant? Aside from the fact that he's a BOY, can you see him pregnant? You know, if it were scientifically possible.**

**I have a friend named Taylan whom I can totes see pregnant.**

**Oh, and P.S. My sub-English teacher named her kids Toolio and Tatem.**

**Then again, she commonly wore the Snooki pouf as a hairstyle.**

**Goodbye now!**

**Sastars429 (And my wondrous beta, ApatheticDreams) out.**


	13. Underground

**Oh my golly gee this is incredibly late.  
>Sorry for the hiatus.<strong>

**If you must know, my last two weeks have been rather hectic. There was a bomb threat or something at my school.**

**Don't worry; it's really no big deal. My school is really freakin' dumb. I'm pretty sure my wonderful fantabulous beta has picked up on that, because I make some really freakin' dumb mistakes.**

**You know what my school did?  
>They locked us inside of the building.<strong>

"**Oh, there's a bomb threat, we should lock the kids inside instead of evacuating."**

**Gurr. But, nobody was really worried. This is the second one this year. Everyone was just upset that they had to stay late on a Friday.**

**Anyways, enough of my ranting, I'm sorry for the lateness.**

**MTR:**

**Epic-ness.**

**AND TO ANNOUNCE MY VERY IMPORTANT SPECIAL GUEST:**

**Jinx: Me?**

**No, I hate you. Nyan-Cat!**

**Nyan-Cat: Nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan.**

**I love that cat.**

**Thanks to my amazing reviewers!  
>AikoRose, limegreenwordmachine, Frogata, and KiriKatana.<strong>

**I hope you guys aren't too angry with me. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Pulchritudinous<p>

"Underground"

Jinx stared at the ceiling, trying to find little shapes and pictures in the dots and lines. She was hanging over the side of her bed, her short hair falling off the side, attempting to find some activity to fill the empty spaces in her life now that Matt and Mello were gone.

Jinx sighed and somersaulted off of her bed, landing skillfully on her feet. Not even torturing Linda seemed to carry any sense of joy, and by this Jinx knew that something was seriously wrong with herself. Not even the thought of Linda's scrunched up, angry face carried any sort of appeal.

_Well, maybe a little. _Jinx smiled to herself and skipped across the room while cruel plans and twisted ideas sprang to life inside her head. As she skittered to the door all the little neurons in her brain connected with sparks and flashes to form increasingly sadistic temptations. _Maybe today won't be so terrible after all._

Once she had exited her room, she pulled on her goggles. In a matter of seconds, she leapt into a nearby vent. The silver metallic walls of the vents felt like a different kind of home to her. In her entire life, she'd never once been claustrophobic. It was as if her mind couldn't fathom the possibility of her home, her friends, those metallic walls crushing in on her, and if they did, she knew that it would only be an embrace and never a trap.

Jinx smiled to herself as she wiggled through the vents, occasionally observing life below. She'd forgotten what it was like to not have friends, to be so alone. Even if she didn't count Mello as a friend, closer to a mortal enemy in fact, it was nice to have someone she could always count on for consistency. Maybe he'd never smile at her, but at least she could always count on a frown.

It was different with everyone else. She couldn't even count on a reaction with anybody else. Everyone else ignored her, and if they had to speak with her, they'd avoid eye contact. She wasn't even human to them - she was exactly what Linda had always said. She was a Jinx, and nobody wants to be jinxed.

Jinx sighed and laid down on her stomachin the vent that she'd been crawling through, staring down at the busy cafeteria. Lunch time was her favorite time to observe people, because it was the only time when everyone was together. Lunch was the only time when you could hear twenty-five different conversations at once, listen to everyone, and even be part of the individual groups.

She grinned as she remembered how she used to include herself before Matt came along. Before him she would sit in the vents above the cafeteria, always during lunch hour, and listen to everyone talk about their days. She made friends that way, and in less than a few days she'd become friends with everybody in the school, in less than a few days she had become _liked_.

There was Vincent, who always had something math-related to say, and there was Ashley, who always had some newly discovered disease that she must share. Then there was Tristan, who always seemed to have a crush on some new girl, and there was Brandon, and Aiden, and Zoey, and Jamie, and Carter, Louis, Jordan, Lance, Sydney, and even a little mousy girl by the name of JoAnn. She knew them all! But, the only problem was that they didn't know her.

"Did you hear about that new math teacher?" Sydney asked below.

"Yeah, didn't she replace that retired teacher?" Jinx replied even though she knew Sydney couldn't hear her.

"Yeah," responded a boy named Bryce, "But she'll be gone within a week."

"Why do you say that?" Jinx asked under her breath.

"Why?" A few others in the group asked in unison.

"Because you know she replaced the teacher who teaches the lower class, the class with the Jinx-girl in it."

Jinx flinched a little and turned away, searching for a new table. "I have other friends than just you guys," she told them.

"I don't need you."

She was in the process of scanning the lunchroom when she noticed the table that she always avoided out of the corner of her eye. Most kids avoided "Linda's Table," but today it was different. The table was unusually full, like people had dared to come out of the cracks in the walls that they had ventured into to avoid Linda's wrath.

Jinx looked closer to find that Linda was nowhere to be found. She continued to search around the table but didn't find Linda _or _Effie anywhere. Hoping to find answers, she wormed her way through the vents until she was closer to the table, just in earshot.

"So where do you think Linda is anyways?" James asked through giggles, changing the subject.

"I don't really know," Candace replied, smiling, "but I haven't gotten to see a lot of these guys in a long time. Maybe it really isn't so bad that she's gone for a day," Candace trailed off, trying to make her point quietly.

Everyone went silent for a few moments, waiting anxiously. They waited for the bomb that belonged to the fuse Candace had just ignited to go off. After twenty seconds everyone finally exhaled, deciding that everything was safe for now.

"I'm not used to this," a girl said quietly from the end of the table, "it's like even though I'm free, I still feel the chains on me." Everyone went quiet again.

"Dude," James smiled after a minute, "That was deep." Everyone laughed at the table and Jinx couldn't help giggling too. Everything seemed so lighthearted with Linda gone, nobody seemed forced, and everyone seemed relaxed and comfortable. For a few moments Jinx almost felt like she belonged with the aliens that she had only a few days ago associated with Linda.

Jinx continued to listen and laugh with the people at the strange table that she used to avoid. It was a whole five minutes before the thought even dawned on her, _Linda and Effie were gone. _It didn't fit; Linda would never miss a chance to be the center of attention, which was exactly what lunch was to her.

_Something was wrong._

Jinx tore herself away from the table and rushed through the vents, looking for Linda. She raced through the vents, but she wasn't sure why she was so pressured to look for Linda. Maybe it was mere curiosity, but the more she thought about it the more she felt like an invisible instinctual force was pushing her toward Linda. She knew something was wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

She clambered through the vents at an incredible speed, thoughts of possible scenarios running through her mind alongside her. She taunted herself with thoughts of Linda overdosing, or her being eaten alive by rabid squirrels. Her theories got progressively more violent as she raced through the vents, almost to the point where she forgot to listen for sounds.

But then she heard it. It was barely audible through the metal walls, only a small sound that carried lightly. It was merely a wisp of a sound that tickled and nipped at her ear. She turned her head toward the sound slightly, trying to trace the _nearly_ noiseless sound. She followed the wisps of sound through the vent until they grew steadily louder, turning into smoke and then tiny feathers of sound that tore and tugged playfully at her listening ears.

She continued along the vent paths that she had grown so familiar with over the years until she was above an opening, the sound clear and understandable now. She gazed through the slated hole, finding Linda and Effie talking intently.

Jinx stared at Linda, something about her not seeming right. She looked perfect as she always did; she wore an assortment of pink complimented with accessories. Her hair was perfectly done, not a single strand out of place. But, something was different.

Jinx continued to scan Linda until she found it - it was her eyes. Normally Linda's eyes portrayed a very calm, calculated, meticulous attitude. Linda always had everything planned to the smallest detail - Linda never failed. But, this time her eyes carried looks of uncertainty, fear, and malicious anger. They twitched frequently, but the moves were so microscopic, all of her tiny little muscles racing back and forth, that her eyes seemed to vibrate with anger.

"What did he say?" Linda asked harshly, taking a threatening step toward Effie.

"I-I don't really k-know," Effie responded, stepping backward, "He's s-sounded so panicked, I could barely make out a word of it."

"Why didn't you ask him to repeat it then, you dumbass?"

"W-why don't you talk to him then? Y-you could understand him so much better," Effie shook, backing into a wall.

"You know that I can't talk to him," Linda shouted, "I could be exposed!"

"W-what about me, Linda?" Effie asked, "What if they find out about me?"

"You're more disposable than I am," Linda responded easily, "You're too chicken to carry out the last part of the plan, so I'm going to be the one who has to do it, and so I can't get caught."

"Linda, you can't mean that you're seriously going to do it..." Effie tried, her voice trailing off.

"Of course I'm seriously going to do it!" Linda yelled, taking another step toward Effie, "Now what did you hear on the phone?"

"I-I told you that I c-can't remember," Effie stuttered, looking down.

Linda took a deep breath and pushed Effie against the wall, "I know you remember, so you best tell me right now or I'll _make _you tell me."

"Okay, okay," Effie gave in, "He said that he was on to him, that he'd made a mistake," Effie replied, flinching.

"What did he mean by mistake?"

"I don't know," she panicked, "he just said that he was going to fix it, and he was going to fix it for good." Effie replied shakily, her knees knocking between her legs.

"Well then that's good," Linda said, letting go of Effie, "But you better make sure he takes care of his big mistake, or I'm going to make sure his knees aren't going to be in proper working order for the next year." She finished, storming off.

Once Linda had left Effie crumpled up against the wall, wrapping her arms around her knees. Her body began to convulse and Jinx knew that she was crying. Jinx wanted to go down and help her, but she knew that would only mean that Effie would know she had been eavesdropping.

Jinx felt no better herself. She sat against the vent, her arms also wrapped around her knees. She didn't understand what she'd just heard, but she knew that she was terrified, possibly for the first time in her entire life, of Linda.

The shiny, silvery metal walls around her seemed to be caving in. She needed air, she needed to breathe. She couldn't figure out why she was so panicked, why her lungs had stopped working. The air that she breathed in seemed to get caught in her throat, and just when she was sure that she was going to suffocate in the place that she had called home, it hit her like a train.

_She was talking about Matt._

* * *

><p>Matt was starting to sweat. It had been almost seven minutes since he'd told L about his hypothesis, and it had been the longest seven minutes of his entire life. Throughout the entire seven minutes L hadn't said a word, he was just <em>silent.<em>

"L?" Matt asked after the eighth minute had ticked by, "Are you still there?"

"Yes."

"Did you consider my hypothesis?" Matt asked tenderly.

L wasn't as quick to answer this time, "I have," he responded easily, "I'm just wondering if you're aware that people in his line of work are discouraged from sleeping around or not."

"I know that," Matt answered quickly, "It just makes sense. Being a minister is the perfect cover-up for activity in the cartel."

"How does syphilis connect to cartel activity?" L asked, "I don't believe it's illegal to have syphilis."

"Well, women usually get involved in the mafia or the cartel through prostitution," Matt trailed off, forgetting his point.

"I don't believe Father Gladstone is a woman." L stated monotonously, "But, what exactly are his symptoms?"

"W-well," Matt took a breath, "He's always fatigued, it looks like his muscles ache, he's perspires more than average, and he looks terribly sick."

"Matt, although those symptoms match some of syphilis, I don't believe that he has syphilis."

"What else could it be then?" Matt asked, growing agitated, "You said yourself that the symptoms match!"

"Yes, but the symptoms match something else too. Please call Roger or myself when you have solid evidence indicating if Father Gladstone is truly involved with the cartel or not."

Matt had opened his mouth to say something when he heard L hang up. Matt felt a flurry of anger rise up in him and he slammed his fist on the table. _How could L do this to me? _He thought to himself, _I know L knows the answer, but he's just not telling me._

"He's right, you know." A foreign voice said from behind him. Matt turned around quickly, alarmed, to see Father Gladstone standing in the doorway.

"What're you doing here?" Matt accused, lifting his hand to grab the phone.

"Oh, Matt," Gladstone discouraged with his tone, "I wouldn't do that if I were you." He finished, taking his hand from behind his back to show Matt a sleek, shiny, black revolver. Matt calmly took his hand away from the phone and rested it in his lap.

"What do you mean by what you said before?" Matt asked, trying to remain calm.

"I found it really cute that you thought I had syphilis." Gladstone said, pacing around Matt's room, touching his things. "Typical newbie mistake."

"What did you _mean?_" Matt asked more harshly, clenching his teeth as Gladstone touched one of Mello's things.

"Oh?" Gladstone asked, stopping to pick up the muddy boots on the floor, "Were these his?"

"No," Matt replied shakily, "They _are _his."

"How come you sound so sure?" Gladstone taunted, casually gracing Matt's face with the barrel of the gun.

"Because I know he's alive," Matt breathed, flinching away from the gun, "and I know that for a fact."

Gladstone giggled and took a step away from Matt. "Oh, you sound so sure," Gladstone turned around, facing him now, "it's exhilarating."

"Tell me," Matt barked at him, "What did you mean before?"

"Haven't you noticed?" Gladstone asked, gesturing to himself, "I'm just absolutely _radiant_."

Suddenly, Matt began to notice. Gladstone did look incredibly _radiant. _He was walking without a cane, he was no longer perspiring, and he seemed incredibly fit and able.

"I don't understand," Matt whispered, "What happened to you?"

"Withdrawal is an evil thing, Matthew." Gladstone explained, "But, don't worry my boy, there's a simple cure."

"Time?" Matt asked snottily.

Gladstone took a threatening step toward Matt, "No, Matthew, that takes far too long. There's a much simpler, more effective cure to the illness. Can you guess it for me, Matthew?"

"No." Matt replied firmly, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Gladstone smiled, "Are you sure of that Matt?" He asked, tracing the gun down Matt's neck.

"Positive." Matt replied, closing his eyes tightly.

"I don't think you are." Gladstone growled, pushing the gun under Matt's chin. "Weren't you ever taught how bad gambling is for you?" He asked, increasing the pressure, "Now answer or take your gamble."

"D-drugs," Matt answered through chattering teeth. He was relieved when Gladstone removed the gun from his chin and opened his eyes a little to see Gladstone pacing again.

"Yes, you are correct." Gladstone smiled, resting his hand on Matt's desk, "Oxycontin to be exact. It's just like a thousand tiny butterflies of life flying inside me." He said, stepping toward Matt, "Now do you know why I'm holding you captive?"

"No."

"Because I'm not allowed to get caught here, there are several people high up who will ensure that I'll never see Oxycontin again if your investigation leads to me."

"What're you going to do to me?" Matt asked, sounding braver than he felt.

"Why, Matthew, didn't you guess?" Gladstone asked, a sickeningly sweet smile growing on his lips, "I'm going to kill you."

"You'll never get away with it." Matt snapped back, "There will be people who look for me, I know it."

"Really?" Gladstone asked, "Because if it wasn't for you, nobody would have ever found out about me. Nobody went looking for Mello, and nobody is going to come looking for you." Gladstone explained cruelly, resting the barrel on his forehead.

"I know that they will find you." Matt said, staring up at the gun that was resting on his forehead.

"Goodbye, Matt," Gladstone replied, the smile growing on his face like a planted seed. Matt closed his eyes tightly and waited for what he knew would come next.

Except for the fact that the bullet never came. Matt continued to close his eyes tightly for a minute, bracing himself, before he finally dared to speak up.

"What are you waiting for, you coward?" Matt interrogated, daring to open his eyes just a little bit.

"For this," Gladstone replied the second Matt opened his eyes. Matt barely had time to see and understand the images that flashed before him in a matter of seconds. Before him he saw Gladstone take the handle of the gun and slam it into his forehead. A bursting, splitting pain shot through Matt's forehead for only a few seconds, and then everything went black.

* * *

><p>Breathe in through the nose, out through the mouth. Breathe in, breathe out. Inhale, exhale. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out. <em>Gasp.<em>

Matt opened his eyes suddenly, but nothing changed. Everything was pitch black and nothing could be made out in the darkness. Matt lifted his hand to his face to check if his eyes were open. _It must be nighttime, _Matt thought. Matt sighed and tried to remember what had happened previously.

He concluded that after questioning Father Gladstone that he had went home and fell asleep on the floor. Matt lifted his head to get up but found that a searing hot pain ran through his forehead when he tried to do so.

He gently cradled his head in his hands and tried to get up again, but this time something hard contacted with his head, sending new waves of pain through his forehead. He let out a cry of agony and felt to his side - solid wall. He felt to his other side, solid wall. He felt up, solid wall. Down, solid wall.

Matt screamed and began to push on the wooden walls that were all around him, getting splinters and scrapes all over his arms. He shouted and screamed and banged on the walls but nothing seemed to happen. He continued to bang on the walls for five minutes before he realized where he was.

Matt was buried alive.

* * *

><p><em>"Do you believe you're missing out, and everything good is happening somewhere else? But with nobody in your bed, the night's hard to get through, and I will die all alone, and when I arrive, I won't know anyone," - Jesus, Brand new <em>

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks to my reviewers and my Apathetic for her epic beta skillz.<br>She catches all of my stupid-as-crap mistakes.**

_**Sastars429 out.**_

**P.S. I'll be having photographs of Jinx (fan-drawn, I still can't draw) on my profile whenever I stop procrastinating.**

**P.P.S. Will you forgive me for le lateness?**


	14. The Failed Escape

**Happy Friday!**

**Merry Friday?**

**Which are you supposed to say? Some people say "Happy Christmas!" and that sounds weird to me.**

**But "Merry Holidays!" sounds weird.**

**The world may never know.**

**ANYWAYS,**

**Here we are with another chapter! It's been a rather nice week for me, how about you guys?**

**Thanks to everyone:**

**My wonderful hardworking (unlike me) beta, Apathetic dreams,**

**Along with all of le supportive reviewers (and there were quite many last week – that wasn't a proper sentence, was it?): I Am Pandora (I love the story of Pandora's box… but you might not be named after that. Which makes this awkward.), limegreenwordmachine (is she really **_**that **_**evil?), insert-mello-related-name-here x5, WolfishMoon, C. Holywell-Black (welcome back, and yes, I love torturing Matt!), Frogata, Misaki-Misa Chan, CrashingUpward, TheAmateurArtist, and KiriKatana!**

**-smile-**

**And now for a special little treat known as the…**

**MTR! (Did I mention I feel like RWJ every time I announce the MTR? Like with his question of the day?)**

**Smelling nice! In honor of soap. I love soap. **

**I'd probably do anything for somebody who smells good. It's my weird thing. That and teeth.**

**Y'know, the weird things I'm attracted to.**

**NOW before I creep you out further, here's some soap, because it smells good. Not that you smell bad, because computers don't have scent devices yet.**

**Okay, let this creepiness end, on with the story!  
>Enjoy!<strong>

* * *

><p>Pulchritudinous<p>

"The Failed Escape"

_Thump. Thump. Click._

The door opened, allowing a fresh flood of light to enter the small, cramped room. A malnourished, barely alive boy sat in the corner of the room. The boy looked up as his eyes struggled to adjust to the brightness when he saw the image of his captor, Father Gladstone, standing in the doorway.

"I see you're still alive," Gladstone whispered snidely as he moved about the room. Gladstone angered the boy more than anyone else ever could.

The boy pleaded with his weak body to reply to his captor, to insult the man, to degrade him down to what he really was, but his body rejected his plea by sending a fresh burst of pain throughout his being, the core of the pain residing in his stomach. His arms instinctively grasped his abdomen as fresh waves of hunger pain resonated through the empty chasm that was now his stomach.

"Hungry?" Gladstone asked, an evil smirk playing on his lips. The boy closed his eyes and turned away from Gladstone, deciding that he'd sooner die than accept help from the man.

"C'mon, Mello," Gladstone coaxed, "You've got to eat something. Oh, and water," Gladstone shook a water-bottle, "Your throat must be _burning._"

Mello desperately tried to ignore the growing fiery-hot feeling in his throat. It seemed to grow increasingly hotter and drier the more he tried to ignore it.

"I understand, I understand," Gladstone said, a new smile on his face, "Die nobly and put up a fight if you want," Gladstone added, walking toward the door, "Too bad your friend couldn't do the same."

Mello jerked his head upward just in time to see Gladstone walk out the door. It only took him a mere second to understand what Gladstone had meant.

_Gladstone had killed Matt._

* * *

><p>Matt was thoroughly freaking out. He pressed his hands to the splintering wood and pushed. The wood didn't budge even an inch. Matt pulled his now splintered hands away from the wood and pushed on the sides. No luck. He began to kick at the box, and push, and kick, and push, kick, push, kick, push, kick, push - the box stayed in the same spot, there wasn't even a crack in the wood to show for his efforts.<p>

Matt withdrew his hands and tried to breathe, but oxygen didn't seem to reach his lungs. He began to breathe faster and faster, feeling the air enter his throat and fill his lungs, but the air seemed to lack oxygen.

Matt continued to grasp for air before he finally realized he was hyperventilating. _Calm down, _he tried to command himself, _try to think yourself out of this situation. Panicking won't help._

Matt took a deep breath and cleared his mind. For a few minutes he enjoyed the calm bliss that washed over him, as his mind was completely blank. But then everything came rushing back: Jinx, Mello, Linda, L, Roger, Gladstone, the gun, the box, the dirt, the ground, death.

As all of the thoughts rushed into his mind, Matt focused on the distant, unclear thoughts that were skirting along the edges of his consciousness. Each little thought was like a firefly that he couldn't quite capture in his mind, but then one stood out. One thought was brighter than the rest, just a little clearer and he began to focus on it.

The thought was a small image, and to anyone else the thought would have been worthless, but to Matt he'd found a diamond among crystals. In his mind he held an image of the boots that Gladstone had touched when he had visited Matt, Mello's old muddy boots.

Matt hadn't questioned the mud before because it always rained in the village, but something struck him. The dirt on the main road was much lighter and more tan than the mud on Mello's boots. The dirt on Mello's boots was dense, thick, and very dark. It wasn't anything close to the light dust-like dirt on the road.

The more Matt thought about it, the more everything made sense. Gladstone had an addiction, a very risky addiction. The townspeople couldn't find out about his addiction, or he'd be in serious trouble. He was a priest, and people were always in the church.

That way Gladstone would need a place where he could be certain that no one would ever go into. He needed a place that was quiet, that only he had access to, and as a priest he had the perfect place for that, and the perfect excuse.

There was one place that the church had to have - a graveyard, and within that graveyard Matt could bet that there was a mausoleum. Everything made sense, Gladstone was helping the cartel by hiding the opiates in the mausoleum for transport, and that's where he must be keeping Mello. It was the only way that Mello could have gotten darker mud on his shoes - grave dirt.

_Mello figured you out, Gladstone, _Matt thought to himself, _so you got rid of him. Just like you got rid of me._

But then, Matt remembered how Gladstone was weak when Matt arrived. _Why? _Matt asked himself, _he was stronger before he abducted me... he said that he'd just taken drugs, so why didn't he before?_

Matt fought through the splitting pain in his forehead to try to remember the events prior to his abduction. He thought harder and harder, trying to focus on what Gladstone had said.

_"There are several people high up who will ensure that I never see Oxycontin again if your investigation leads to me," _Gladstone had said.

_That must be it, _Matt thought, _Gladstone's supply of Oxycontin had run out, and he hadn't gotten anymore until just before he captured me._

That meant one thing to Matt - Mello was still alive. He had to be, Gladstone wouldn't have had the strength to bury Mello alive while going through withdrawal. _I can still save him, _Matt thought to himself, taking a deep breath, slowly getting ready for the fight of his life.

_If I don't, _Matt thought, concentrating hard, _no one will._

* * *

><p>Mello was in pain. He drifted in and out of consciousness, trying his hardest to fight through the pain that was on a rampage throughout his body. He had only made it a few inches across the cold, musty room but he knew that he had to get to the stairwell. He had to get out of the cold mausoleum, because there was nothing more important to him than getting back at Gladstone.<p>

_Gladstone doesn't deserve to live, _Mello thought as he fought across the hard stone ground, Mello was fine with Gladstone taking his life. He'd earned it. _If you make a mistake, you've got to pay for it, _he thought, inching closer to the stairs, _but I'm not letting Matt pay for my mistakes._

Mello grasped at the water bottle Gladstone had left and took a sip. He quickly regretted it though because the liquid burned down his throat and seared in his stomach. Suddenly he felt woozy and his eyelids became heavy.

Mello looked up just in time to see Gladstone walk through the door, that familiar sickeningly sweet, sadistic smile playing on his lips.

"I'm sorry, Mello," he said cruelly, "But it looks like your nobility has been spent. You forgot one thing, Mello," Gladstone said, walking toward him, "This is my turf." Mello closed his eyes and everything went dark, but Gladstone's smile remained imprinted in his memory.

* * *

><p>Large beads of sweat were rolling down Matt's face. Time seemed to blend together and he didn't know how long he'd been clawing, pushing, and kicking at the lid of the box he was trapped in. It could have been minutes or it could have been days, he didn't know anymore.<p>

Matt slammed his fists down at his sides when he felt the two protruding items in his pockets. He felt around more and his hands found the two things he had forgotten were in his pocket - Mello's Swiss army knife and his rosary.

Matt clutched the rosary and put it to his chest, _I'm sorry, Mello, _he thought, _I'm sorry I couldn't save you. I __don't think I even came close. _

Matt grabbed the knife out of his pocket and flicked it open. He imagined the knife in the dark, almost getting used to not having his sight, and imagined it being the savior to his problems. _If only there were a crack in this blasted wood, _Matt thought, rubbing his hand against the top of the box, _then just maybe I'd be able to save him__. _

Matt flinched, the _maybe _ringing in his mind like the cymbals on a drum. It wasn't even worth it to say it or even _think_ it. However, even though he knew, almost for an absolute fact, that it was all over, something continued to itch inside his mind. Even though he knew that there was only a one in a hundred-million, billion, trillion chance that he had managed to create a crack in the wood, he also knew that he still had to try.

Matt continued to run his hand across the wood, searching for even the tiniest crack in the wood. He had almost finished searching the entire surface of the wood when he felt it. Almost out of reach, near the very bottom of the box was a thin crack that he could barely feel with the tip of his fingernail. He continued to scratch at the crack, making sure it was really there, that it wasn't just an illusion, when he decided what he needed to do.

In one swift motion, without any hesitation, Matt jammed the knife into the open crack with all of his strength, forcing it further and further into the wood. As soon as Matt had let go off the knife he pushed on the top of the box, which was followed by a horrible splitting sound.

The wood caved in from the force of the dirt with a loud _crack, _like the first lightning strike in a terrible storm. Just then a sharp stab of pain went through Matt's leg followed by a walloping mass of dirt that caved in from the now open lid.

Just as Matt was sure that he was free, the dirt hit him like a boulder and crushed him into the casket. Everything was silent. Matt lay cradled in the casket by pounds and pounds of dirt, feeling his lungs grasp for clean air, knowing that this was, for certain, the end.

He had lost.

* * *

><p>"<em>Tonight I think I'll be stayin' here, and you never did like this town, I talk out loud like you're still around, no, no," – West Coast, Coconut Records<em>

* * *

><p><strong>As always, I thank you guys for stickin' with me, (especially 'theticDreams, because I'm really annoying. And late.)<strong>

**Question time!**

**Is Linda really all that evil?**

**She's actually my favorite. I feel like I worked the hardest on her character development. Oh, you thought you'd be rid of her soon?**

**BWHAHAHAHAHHAHA.**

_**Stars and Dreams out. **_


	15. Fireproof

**Merry evening!**

**MERRY THREE KINGS DAY, too.**

**We celebrated that in Spanish class today.**

**Anyways, I meant to upload this earlier, but I didn't (I was out).**

**CAST: CH!**

**I know, I know. A life? Who has one of those. Not me!**

**... I just talked to myself, didn't I?**

**Well, I think that is a common habit among writers, so I'm not concerned.**

**Now time to thank everyone wonderful (not everyone of course. There are way too many amazing people to fit within this entire site. Like Ash from Pokemon. He's freakin' amazing.)**

**BUT, NAY, not pokemon characters! Le beta and reviewers!**

**Thanks to the wonderous people that follow: ApatheticDreams, LeCait (why thank you! Glad you enjoy it!), justiceintheworldofhp-yearight, Stormygio, C. Holywell-Black, insert-mello-related-name-here, limegreenwordmachine, I Am Pandora, TheAmateurArtist, and KiriKatana -smiley-**

**SO, I have a question for some of you.**

**How in the world do you come up with your usernames?**

**Some I understand, but seriously, some just look like you facerolled the keyboard. And if you did, I support that. Nothing like unecessary head injuries! (I suffer many throughout the duration of gym class.)**

**--**

**BUT I STILL TRY.**

**Anyways, quit my rambling, MTR!**

**In memory of the song that didn't get chosen for this chapter, The Pokemon Theme Song.**

**Jiggly-Puff: You should review! **

**If Jiggly-Puff doesn't have more influence over you than your mother, friends, and significant other combined, something is deeply wrong with you.**

**P.S. DISCLAIMER: (ha, you silly lawyers!) I do not own death note.**

* * *

><p>Pulchritudinous<p>

"Fireproof"

"Roger," Jinx shouted down the hallway, "we have an emergency!" She finished, bursting through his office door.

Jinx stopped abruptly when she entered Roger's office. She hadn't expected Roger to have any visitors when she entered. After all he was a disgustingly grouchy old man, but she definitely hadn't anticipated his particular raven-haired visitor.

"Hello Jinx," L greeted from his spot, "It's a pleasure to see you. Did you do something with your hair?"

"Yes," Jinx replied, fighting to urge to run out the door, "Black is a rather despicable hair color, wouldn't you agree?"

"The most despicable," L agreed complacently, "I much prefer blond."

"How'd you get here?" Jinx interrogated L.

"I feel as if that's an unnecessary question. There are only so many ways to travel long distances, and many of them are improbable." L answered simply, absentmindedly adding more sugar cubes to his tea. Jinx rolled her eyes and decided to ignore him before he ruined her day further.

"Roger, as I said we have an emergency." Jinx stated again, getting back on topic.

"What is this emergency now, Jinx?" Roger asked, rubbing his temples.

"It's Matt and Mello, I know that they're both in trouble, and it's all Linda's fault!" Jinx accused, quickly getting heated even _thinking_ about what Linda had said.

"That's a very serious accusation Jinx," Roger lectured. "You must have proof."

"And I do," Jinx answered immediately, "A few hours ago I heard her talking in the closet with Effie. They were talking about some man who made a mistake and they going to take care of him, _for good._" Jinx rattled off at light-speed, breathing heavily once she had finished.

"How do you know that they were talking about Mello and Matt?" Roger asked, "L talked with Matt over the phone earlier today. I'm certain that he's fine."

"You don't know what I heard!" Jinx yelled at Roger, "They're going to _kill _them!"

"Calm down, Jinx." Roger said quietly from behind his desk.

"You're not listening to me!" Jinx roared, slamming her fists down on his desk, "You sat back and didn't do anything, and that's why Mello might be hurt. Now you're going to sit back again and let Matt be hurt by that demon!" Jinx hollered, walking toward the door.

"Jinx, L and I can assure you that no harm has come to Matthew," Roger added, trying to calm Jinx down.

"You can _assure _me?" Jinx asked through clenched teeth, turning away from the door.

"Yes, we can," Roger confirmed.

"He's checked in with me personally a few times since this afternoon." L added from his seat.

"Really?" Jinx asked, "Why should I trust you? It's not like you two are all that great at ensuring safety," Jinx muttered, making a show of her gloved arms, "but I can tell that you two aren't going to do anything, I'll just have to figure out something myself." Jinx finished, exiting Roger's office in a huff.

"L," Roger acknowledged once Jinx had left his office, "You're one-hundred percent positive that it was Matt who checked in?"

"Matt knows not to leave his account logged in," L said quietly, "Unless he was abducted _immediately _after we ended our telephone conversation, there isn't a plausible way that he's been kidnapped."

"Well if we don't receive direct contact from him within twenty-four hours I am requesting that we bring _all _of _them_ in, I'm not risking anymore people."

"I'll contact Watari," L responded, getting out of his seat and walking toward the door.

"Don't worry about Jinx," Roger called after him, "I'm sure she'll get over it someday." L didn't answer and continued walking out the door.

* * *

><p>Matt was desperately trying to find feeling in his arms under the mass of dirt that encased him. He felt enclosed - caged in the dirt that was on top of him. He couldn't move any part of his body, everything was dark and everything was heavy.<p>

His need for oxygen began to dim, he no longer had that burning and suffocating feeling in his lungs, his body was growing lighter, and lighter, and lighter. His arms weren't heavy anymore, his chest could almost expand again, but everything was still dark.

_Is this what dying feels like? _Matt asked himself in the darkness, not knowing if he was passed out or dead.

"Midas?" A distant voice hollered at him, "Are you there Midas?" The voice drifted in and out of clarity, and the only thing Matt could think about was how that wasn't his name.

Matt suddenly felt a tight knot inside his chest, and then in an instant it felt like someone was pulling on the knot, pulling him back to reality. Matt felt like he was splashed with a giant bucket of icy water and he burst back into existence.

"Welcome back, Manfred!" A voice greeted him, but Matt's vision was too blurry to make out the face. He was about to thank his savior, but his body convulsed. He quickly rolled over onto his stomach and began to cough up lots of watery dirt.

For nearly three minutes Matt lay on his stomach, trying to breathe in the oxygen his lungs had almost gotten used to not having. At first it felt molten-hot and stung his lungs like killer bees, but after a few breaths it was sweet an addicting. The fresh oxygen was like a rare candy that he couldn't believe he'd taken for granted only a little while before.

Matt rolled onto his back again to look at the face of his savior. His vision was still blurry and when he looked up, he only saw a whirl of colors. There was a little bit of red, and a lot of pale colors mixed together. When his vision finally cleared, the colors slowly being put back into their right places, he was shocked to see the blond, pig-tailed, cheery-faced girl.

"Clara?" He panted, still not believing it was her.

"You gave me and Polly quite a fright there, Marcel!" Clara said, standing up and jumping around, "We thought you were a goner! We're so glad you're alive!" She finished, skipping around Matt.

"How'd you find me?" Matt asked, confused why she was outside at the graveyard, at night.

"It's raining," Clara answered easily, pointing at the sky. Matt looked up, for the first time realizing the precipitation that was falling from the sky.

"I guess I hadn't noticed, but why are you in the graveyard?" Matt asked, reaching his hands out to touch the cascading rain.

"I went to your house and saw Polliwog sitting on your desk, looking hungry. So when it started raining, I knew the graveyard would be the perfect place to go catch worms. She loves worms, and they're easier to find when it's raining." Clara explained, bending down to grab a worm and show it to Matt.

"They're everywhere right now," she said happily, giving it to Polliwog.

Matt nodded and looked upward through the rain. He closed his eyes and opened his mouth to taste the rain, feeling like he'd never tasted water as delicious as the water that was falling into his mouth. It felt more like nectar, sweet, but still nourishing while slowly healing his desert-dry throat.

"Clara?" Matt asked after a few seconds, "How did you find me?"

"Well, I was looking around for worms when I saw the hole you were in suddenly cave in, so I turned around to go get a shovel, but then I saw Father Gladstone. He doesn't like me in here after dark, so once he went into the mausoleum I went into the storage shed and got a shovel."

"Father Gladstone?" Matt asked, thoughts of Mello and the mausoleum rushing back to him.

"Yeah, I don't know where he went though," Clara said, scratching her head.

"Where's the mausoleum? Gladstone's corrupt, Clara! Gladstone hurt Mello and Gladstone's the one who tried to kill me!" Matt told Clara quickly, remembering everything from before in a rush.

"What does corrupt mean?" Clara asked, cocking her head to the side.

"I'll explain later, tell me where the mausoleum is!" Matt begged her. Clara nodded and pointed across the graveyard, to a small stone monument on the other side of the graveyard.

Matt got up and started to stagger across the graveyard but fell before he managed to take a few steps. A terrorizing, searing feeling ran through his leg and his hand instinctively grasped his limb to try and stop the agony. When Matt looked down he saw the knife that he had lodged into the casket wood now jammed into his leg.

"Michael," Clara called, immediately running up to him, "Are you okay?"

"N-no," Matt stuttered, trying to pull out the knife, "There's a freaking knife in my leg!" Clara nodded and, without missing a beat, bent over and pulled out the knife stuck in his leg.

"Better?" She asked cheerfully, wiping the blade off in the grass.

Matt clenched his teeth and almost bit his tongue in reaction to the sudden burst of torturous pain that was unleashed from the knife. The following sensation was like a bandage that had just been torn from his leg, but the feeling was ten-million times worse. The unbearable burning feeling bloomed throughout his leg, spreading like weeds in a field.

"I need something to cover it up," Matt panted, "or it will get infected." Matt added, searching around, still collapsed on the ground.

"We're not going to find anything out here," Clara said, "Come with me to the mausoleum, there's got to be something in there." She finished, helping Matt up.

"I can't make it there," Matt breathed heavily, standing on one leg, "you go on and get me something."

"C'mon," Clara said, slinging one of Matt's around her shoulders, "I'll help you get there." The two limped across the lawn for what felt like an eternity before they reached the stone mausoleum. Matt's wound was still burning with incredible pain as he sat down on the stone floor, waiting for Clara to find something to dress his wound with.

The floor was cold and damp and Matt could barely keep his heavy lids up. He almost couldn't believe that not even an hour ago he was sure that he was going to die, and now he was actually breathing oxygen and walking again.

Matt searched around the mausoleum with his eyes, searching for anything that could help him find where Mello was. He noticed thick muddy tracks leading to and from where he was sitting, and then a thick trail, like something was dragged, from where he was to the stairs.

Matt had slowly begun to piece together the story when Clara came back with a piece of cloth and a water bottle.

"I found this water bottle lying around." She stated, handing it to him and then dressing the wound. Matt was still putting the story pieces together as he unscrewed the cap and put it to his lips. Before he had to chance to swallow the liquid in the water bottle, he breathed through his nose and was hit by an awful scent. Matt immediately purified his mouth, violently spewing the horrendous liquid all over the mausoleum floor.

The smell continued to burn in his nose and made him feel nauseous; Matt reached for his nose, dropping the water bottle, trying to defend himself from the horrendous odor.

"Where'd you get that water?" Matt asked, trying to breathe through the nausea the scent had given him.

"I found it on the floor over there," Clara said, tying the cloth around his wound, "What happened?"

"It's not water, Clara!" Matt said, his mouth starting to feel numb. He slowly got up with the help of the wall, trying to distance himself from the infernal water bottle.

"Then what was it?" She asked, staring at the bottle that was now on the floor.

"I don't know," Matt coughed, "But I think Gladstone gave Mello that chemical to ingest."

"Ingest?" Clara asked, turning her head to the side.

"It means Gladstone drugged Mello, and he probably buried him alive, like he tried to do to me." Matt slumped against the wall, sinking to the floor, knowing that there was no way he'd be able to find the grave that Mello was trapped inside in time to save him.

"Oh no," Clara reasoned, "He couldn't have buried Mello tonight. It's raining, and _hard_."

"Why not?" Matt asked, burying his head in his hands.

"For a brainiac, you sure don't have common sense. It's simple, it's nearly impossible to dig when it's raining this heavy, it would definitely be more than a one-man job."

"Are you sure?" Matt asked, a note of hope ringing in his voice.

"Totally," Clara said, "I've tried to dig looking for worms in the rain; it's just not worth it. You spend so long diggin' and you don't get nowhere, so instead I just wait for them to come up."

"So if you needed to get rid of someone, and no one could know about it, what would you do?" Matt mused to himself.

"Well, if I were Father Gladstone," Clara piped in, "I would burn the body and blame it on a church fire. Do you know how many candles the church has? I think it's like trillions!"

Matt looked up and thought about it. There were a lot of flammable things in the church, accompanied by a lot of candles. On top of that, if the church burned down, Gladstone would have a chance to improve the church. Everything made sense. Gladstone was going to _burn_ Mello.

"Clara, we have to get to the church, and now!" Matt said quickly, getting up again, using the wall as a crutch. Clara immediately complied and began to help the limping Matt toward the exit.

Once the two were outside they rushed to the side of the building and peeked through the window. Matt took one look and felt like stones had just been dropped into his stomach.

In the middle of the room, everything had been piled together that was even remotely flammable. The pews were stacked together in a huge pile, the curtains were thrown on top of it, and there were wooden trays, crosses, church-play costumes, even the altar.

But, the worst centerpiece of all, atop the large pile in the room was Mello's body. Matt watched in horror as Gladstone danced around the pile of things, pouring kerosene wherever he went. He splashed it around the pile, on the pile, all over Mello, by the time he was done there wasn't a single surface left uncovered.

Matt found himself frozen as he watched Gladstone take a matchbox out of his pocket, withdraw a match, and strike it against the strip on the side. Just as Matt was sure that he was going to be a loser, that he would be as cowardly as to watch his friend die, the match didn't ignite.

Matt watched as Gladstone struck again, and again, and again, but the match refused to ignite. That was all that Matt needed, almost a sign from something greater that Mello was supposed to live. His mind jumped into action, he forgot the pain in his leg, and he began to think of a plan.

"Clara," he said, turning around, "I've got an idea."

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><p>"<em>If there's anything to say, if there's anything to do, if there's any other way, I'll do anything for you,"– For the Windows in Paradise, for the Fatherless in Ypsilanti, Sufjan Stevens <em>

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><p><strong>Ah, I do love Clara.<strong>

**Such an interesting little sprout.**

**But, I must quit rambling and upload this already.**

**Question?**

**Do you like Gym Class?**

**I get murdered every time.**

**Literally murdered. Brains on the floor and everything.**

**See you next week all,**

_**Stars and Dreams out.**_

_**(those two go together magnificently, do they not?)**_


	16. Hydrocarbon

**Hello my lovely stickers!  
><strong>**Because you guys, if you're reading this, stuck by me. Eh? Good joke for an awkward situation... Not really.**

**I am sorry that I was not able to update this. My dearest Beta is on a bit of a hiatus right now, and I figure it's about time I uploaded. She's a very nice lady - and school always comes first!**

**So, yes, I did this by myself... heh. heh.**

**Please enjoy.**

**MTR: (In honor of stickers)**

**REVIEW AND YOU GET A STICKER.**

**No, this doesn't count as bribery.**

**Please leave your lawyers out of this.**

**But, on the subject of lawyers:  
>DISCLAIMER: (I remembered!) - I do not own death note.<strong>

**Bam. **

**THANKS TO MY BEAUTIFUL REVIEWERS WHO I AM INCREDIBLY SORRY FOR THE WAIT:**

**Jaci's Spice (Ripped my heart out and threw it on the ground. HOW COULD YOU NOT BE IN LOVE WITH ME?), torixx3 (sorry it's late :(), limegreenwordmachine (Don't change it! I made mine when I was 12 too. Always serves a good laugh :)), miikaachan, IAmTheRedOne, DribbleDrabble4ever (Great but terrible, right? ;)), -Chan, TheAmateurArtist, insert-mello-related-name-here, I Am Pandora, KiriKatana (Yeah, as in we HOPE we don't die during those course of this physical activity, right?), and LeCait.**

**You guys are beautiful. **

**That was creepy.**

**Let's just forget about that. Not that you aren't beautiful. I mean, accept it if you're willing, but if you think it's creepy just forget about it...**

**I really don't know any other solution but the backspace key. But I live on the edge. NO BACKSPACES FOR ME.**

**A reviewer(s) brought up a few points:  
>A. Short chapter: This one's shorter too, but that's because next one's is super long, not that it FEELS long, it's just long on the word-count scale...<strong>

**Yeah.**

**B. (I actually just thought about this): Jinx will have more print-time soon. Although I like Clara. I like her a lot. **

**Well, the longer I type this, the longer it takes to get to you, so on with the story!**

* * *

><p>Pulchritudinous<p>

"Hydrocarbon"

Matt looked down at his hand and felt a sudden surge of pride in the object nestled there. The medium-sized pale-gray stone fat perfectly in his hand. The coarse edges rubbed at his palms, and he felt a flow of power run through him as he wrapped his fingers around it. It was such a simple thing, a rock, but _he knew_ it could solve everything. Matt smiled, raised his arm, and chucked it at the horribly disgusting knife-shaped stained-glass window.

The resulting _crash _was the most beautiful sound that Matt could imagine. He soaked up as much of the sound as he could, stored it in his brain, and darted away from the church as quickly as he could. He imagined Gladstone's annoyed cry when he saw the broken window and smiled to himself, _he knew_ everything was going to work out just fine.

Inside the church Clara immediately got to work as soon as she heard the crash. She darted across the room; fearlessly passing right behind Gladstone's back, and vanished into the door that was helpfully marked 'Utility Room.'

Once she had entered the room she was pleased to find that it was a complete mess of pipes and machines. She looked around the room, trying to remember exactly as Matt had told her. But, the room was so crowded that she couldn't tell which pipe was which. Clara shrugged her shoulders, knowing that there was only one option left for her now. She grabbed the wrench Matt had gotten her from one of the sheds in the graveyard and got to work.

Outside Matt only allowed him a few seconds of pleasure, watching Gladstone fuss over the broken window, before he went inside. He sighed, only fulfilled for a moment, and made his way, limping on his injured leg, toward the church. He burst through the heavy wooden doors in the church, his clothes dripping with water and mud.

Gladstone turned around quickly and looked at Matt. Matt saw an expression of complete shock pass through his eyes before his familiar sadistic expression took its place.

"Why Matt, you look like you've just come from the grave!" Gladstone chided, only concealing his malice with his words.

"It's a pretty funny story actually," Matt said coolly, taking a step toward Gladstone, "I think you'll find that it's a _killer_ joke."

"Well," Gladstone said, taking a step toward him, "I hope it's not too long of a story." He stopped to flash Matt his matchbox, "I've got time to _murder_."

"I believe the expression is _kill_," Matt noted quietly, "but there's not really much of a difference anyways. Killer, murderer: potato, potato." He said, pronouncing his second potato differently than the first.

"Pretty much," Gladstone agreed, "But, I've got things to do."

"Well, I guess they'll have to wait," Matt commanded, taking a brave step toward Gladstone.

"I think you know that they just simply cannot." Gladstone warned, taking a match out and putting it close to the strip on the side.

"I don't think you want to do that, Gladstone." Matt said, putting his hands in his pockets idly. "Well, unless you want to go down with us of course." Gladstone chuckled under his breath at Matt's statement.

"What do you mean, Matt?" Gladstone moved the match away from the box, "Have you forgotten that I'm the master of this game? Or do you need another dirt nap to figure that one out?" Gladstone wore his same smug expression, but instead of getting agitated, Matt merely smiled back.

"Tell me," Matt asked, taking a small step toward Gladstone, "do you know what the most common hydrocarbon gas is?"

"Hydro – what?" Gladstone asked, his face scrunching up in confusion.

"It makes sense that you wouldn't know what it is, it's not really known by that name." Matt said, kicking out a pew from the stack of items on the floor. He gestured for Gladstone to take a seat.

"What are you talking about?" Gladstone asked, inching away from the bench.

"Sit." Matt commanded ruthlessly, pushing the pew with his foot. Gladstone looked at the gas covered bench and reluctantly obeyed Matt's command. When Gladstone sat down he grimaced and wiped off the extra gasoline on his hands on his pants.

"Now that I'm here, what is hydrocar – whatever, gas?" Gladstone asked, trying to touch as little of the pew as possible.

"Well," Matt took a deep breath, taking a match that he had found in the mausoleum out of his pocket, "the hydrocarbons are a family of gasses. But, your chemistry teacher should have taught you that. My question to you is: how flammable is methane gas?"

"It's a flammable gas," Gladstone answered, annoyed, "But we don't keep any of that here. What's your point?"

Matt sighed, "I see that I'm going to have to spell this out for you," Matt turned around, biding his time with his back to Gladstone. "Tell me," he finally continued, turning around again, "which gas do you keep here that's easily 80 percent methane?"

Gladstone didn't say anything, but looked up, trying to think. Matt shook his head and tapped his foot, waiting for Gladstone to come up with some sort of answer. Matt continued to tap his foot, when he noticed Gladstone clench his fists in anger.

"I didn't get a science major!" He shouted at Matt, "So tell me what this damn gas is or I'll blow this whole place up!"

"Well," Matt clicked his tongue, "What a temper you have." Matt paused for a second, twirling the match in his fingers, "I've decided to pity you." He said finally.

"I don't want your pity," Gladstone shouted, taking out his own match, "Now tell me what will happen if I light this."

"We'll die." Matt said simply, "But I'm not too worried about that. I have nothing to lose. _You_, however, have everything at stake."

"What do I have at stake?" Gladstone questioned, "I'd just die with you!"

"For starters, you wouldn't get to see him burn," Matt gestured to Mello, "didn't he get you into this mess?" Matt asked, and Gladstone looked away. "Don't hide from me," Matt said gently, walking around Gladstone, "I know how much you want to see him pay for it. You didn't care about me; I was just a mess, but _him_? He's the one who created the mess."

"So what?" Gladstone said, turning towards him. "You don't know how I feel, I'm not like you. I'm a lot smarter."

"No, Gladstone," Matt said viciously, "You are perfectly predictable. When a child breaks a vase, you don't punish the vase, now do you?" Matt inquired, and Gladstone made an effort to avoid Matt's gaze,

"No, is the answer to my question in case you were wondering." Matt said finally. "Instead you punish the child. That's why you buried me, but you chose to burn him. Do you know why that is?"

Gladstone turned his head suddenly and looked at Matt for the first time in a long time, "Because it'll hurt."

"Correct!" Matt shouted happily. "Somebody give the monkey a treat!" He shouted, dancing around, congratulating Gladstone. He continued to dance around for almost a full minute before he turned back to Gladstone.

"Well, almost," he commented, "I mean you had _part_ of it correct. You see, fire is a very destructive weapon," Matt informed, "And people who use it to murder people are generally very destructive, very angry, and most of all, very unstable."

"I'm not unstable!" Gladstone shouted at Matt, standing up.

"Something an unstable person might say," Matt whispered, "But that's not the point. The point is that you made a mistake, you let me fill this room up with a hydrocarbon gas, and now there's no way out."

Gladstone slammed his fist down on the kerosene-covered pew, "Are you ever going to tell me what this damn gas is?"

"Sure," Matt acquiesced, "I'll give you a few clues. But let me ask you a few questions first: what color is the air?"

"Clear?" Gladstone asked, unsure if he was being tricked or not.

"Exactly," Matt answered, "And we know it's flammable, and so far odorless, so we can eliminate all of the colored, odorous, and inflammable gasses such as ammonia, benzene, chloromethane, hydrogen selenide, carbon disulfide, ethylamine, ethylene oxide, diborane, and several others. All in all, there are only a handful of gasses left after that."

"Wait a minute," Gladstone said suddenly, "What do you mean by 'so far'?"

"Well, and here's your dead giveaway," Matt paused, taking in a deep breath, "It's been known to smell of rotten eggs_._"

Gladstone thought about it for a minute and then mouthed the words "natural gas." Matt smiled and paced around him again, feeling like he finally won.

"Correct," Matt crooned, "Do you smell -" Matt halted in his sentence, seeing slight movement on top of the pile of items. Matt looked up and noticed that Mello was wriggling on top of the pile.

"Mello!" He shouted, climbing up over the pews to help his friend. When he got to Mello he almost couldn't believe his eyes.

Mello looked alien. He was thin and looked so small among the mass of furniture. The kerosene that covered his body was terrifying, and Matt began shaking just looking at him. He immediately dropped the match he had been absentmindedly twirling in his hand and bent down to help his friend up.

Matt didn't lift his head until he had finally managed to help Mello, who was struggling to just open his eyes, up. Matt looked up, getting off the pile of items as quickly as he could with Mello on his arm. But when he looked around he saw nothing. He continued searching for any sign of the missing minister until he heard Clara's scream.

Matt immediately limped over to the utility room, struggling under the weight of Mello and the pain of his injured leg, and opened the door. When the wooden door creaked open Matt was horrified to see Gladstone grabbing Clara by the hair, pressing the familiar gun up to her neck.

"Looks like I've got your friend," Gladstone seethed, "And it looks like she failed you. There's no smell of rotten eggs in _my_ church."

Matt sniffed the air quickly, searching for any possible scent of rotten eggs. He breathed in as much air as he could through his nose, but the lack of scent was painfully obvious. He sniffed again, looking silly now, desperately sniffing for a scent that wasn't there.

It was a fact. The air smelled completely clean.

* * *

><p><em>"Their tears are filling up their glasses, no expression, no expression, hide my head, I want to drown my sorrow, no tomorrow, no tomorrow,"- Mad World, Gary Jules<em>

* * *

><p><em><strong><strong>_**So tell me, did you learn something this chapter?**

**;) Ahaha. Next week is a planned event though, so no worries!  
>Plus, this Saturday is my last speech meet (thank gosh, my stage-freight is through the roof.)<strong>

**_Stars and Hiatus Dreams out._**

**Have a nice rest of the day/evening! **


	17. Amnesia

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note. Or anything else trademarked. Just in case that wasn't a no-brainer.**

**Good evening, readers!**

**I actually enjoyed writing this chapter. Maybe it's because I am excited for writing future chapters, which will be interesting due to this plot route. Or maybe it's because I learned a lot. :)**

**Thanks to my last week reviewers!**

**Jaci's Spice (I may take you up on that, but I'll give her some more time), C. Holywell-Black, misaki . misa-Chan, I Am Pandora, miikaachan, x-Beyond-B, and LeCait.**

**Notas Importantes (Important Notes):**

**As far as how long I am planning on making this story (Thank you Beyond for bringing this up), I do plan on delving a bit into the canon plot, although not very far, and if I do, I will obviously (because of Jinx) have to customize it a little bit. It is not too far out from here! This is nearing the end of arc 1. Then some transition. Then Canon.**

**Hope you enjoy :)**

**MTR: **

***Reminding you***

**YOU SHOULD REMEMBER TO REVIEW. In case you forget or something…**

**-evil glares at bad joke from Jinx and Mello-**

**ONWARD, WE SHALL PREVAIL… Dramatic.**

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><p>Pulchritudinous<p>

"Amnesia"

Matt nearly dropped Mello from his shoulder, partly from the shock of Clara's failure, and partly because he was now beginning to feel the pain in his leg again. He couldn't believe that Clara had failed the one task he had given her. The one and only task he had assigned her to, the simplest of all possible tasks, and she had failed.

Matt looked at the stained glass window that he had broken earlier, trying to find some tiny scrap of inspiration in the shattered pieces. The scalpel-shaped window offered nothing for him though. He turned his gaze around the room, stopping for just a moment to look into Gladstone's excited eyes.

"Looking for a way out?" Gladstone asked with pleasure, wearing his sadistic personality with pride. Matt resisted letting out a groan; he knew that there wasn't a single way he was going to get out of this situation quickly. There would be no quick death and no escape. He knew in that instant that he was going to suffer.

Matt tried to think again, but found his thoughts entirely blocked. He couldn't think of anything. He couldn't remember anything either. There were only a few sparse commands running through his mind. Blink. Breathe. Stay calm. Save Mello.

Matt widened his eyes, he'd nearly forgotten about Mello in the sudden collapse of hope. He looked at Mello and noticed his head bobbing. Matt immediately set him down into the sitting position; realizing the physical exertion of merely walkingwas threatening to make Mello faint.

"Mello," Matt whispered, noticing Mello's eyelashes flutter, "I'm sorry I couldn't get us out of here, but I'll make sure there's not too long left. I guess my natural-gas plan didn't work." Mello opened his mouth to try to speak, but he was cut off by Gladstone.

"This is all very touching," Gladstone remarked from his spot, "but I'd really like to get this show on the road."

"Put Clara down." Matt said firmly, watching Clara struggle against him. "She had no part in this. I convinced her, it was Mello and I you wanted gone, right?"

"It was you all this time?" Gladstone and Matt both turned their attention to Clara, surprised at the sudden surge of maturity in her voice. "You were the one causing all of this?"

"Why, yes," Gladstone answered in a condescending tone. "It sure took you fools long enough to realize it."

"It can't be!" Clara shouted, her childishness coming back to her voice. "You couldn't have done it! People trust you! People pay attention to you and people put their faith in you! You couldn't have done it! You couldn't have betrayed all of those poor, innocent people!" Clara screamed at him, almost on the verge of tears.

"Why, yes, Clara," Gladstone said, laughing at her rage, "It was me, Father Gladstone, in the church, with the revolver."

"What are you doing?" Matt interjected quickly. "Playing some kind of sick _game_ with a town that loved and respected you?"

"I presumed a game would be easier for you to understand," Gladstone explained, "I thought for certain that you children would be familiar with the rules of the board game, what else do feeble-minded children do in their spare time?"

"Yes, I am familiar with the rules," Matt confirmed, "And if I remember them correctly, you don't know the true outcome of the game until the very end, when all the cards are on the table."

"Are you trying to say that you have some way of outsmarting me?" Gladstone asked, tightening his hold on the now sobbing Clara.

"Up until the very end, it's all guesswork." Matt stated, trying to keep his bluff. "You don't know what cards I have hidden."

"You don't have anything hidden, you've got nothing!" Gladstone shouted indignantly, and Matt tried to maintain his straight face. Gladstone was right, he was all out of ideas, but he had to maintain his bluff. Mello's, Clara's, and his survival were all relying on the expression on his face – on his ability to carry out a lie.

"How can you be certain?"Matt answered after a moment, trying his hardest to remain serene. But his attempt was worthless. His question didn't faze Gladstone in the slightest.

"Because I have her," Gladstone tightened his grip on Clara's throat, causing her to gasp for breath, "And I foiled your plan. Without the gas leak I can fire at will." Gladstone pointed his gun at Matt and moved his finger to the trigger. He was just about to shoot, just about to end everything, but then Mello stirred.

"Is he still alive?" Gladstone asked, aiming his gun at Mello. "I thought for certain that he would have quit hanging on by now."

Matt turned around and knelt next to Mello. Mello's eyelashes were fluttering again and his lips began to twitch. Matt made sure to listen as carefully as he could, trying to pick up the sounds that Mello was fighting to make.

"Nineteen," Mello began, but just as soon as he started to say something the drug pulled him back, away from the world again.

"Mello!" Matt hollered, trying to shake him awake again. "Tell me!" But Matt stopped when he noticed his tone had turned pleading. For a second he hoped that Gladstone had not heard the panic in his voice, but then he realized he was wrong to attempt to conceal it. It didn't matter if Gladstone called his bluff. It didn't matter if he lied perfectly. None of it mattered because he knew that he wouldn't be able to solve this himself. He knew he needed Mello's help.

Matt was beginning to feel lightheaded, probably from the fear, when he placed his ear to Mello's chest. He strained to hear his heartbeat. He listened harder and harder, and eventually he found it. It was light and fluttery, not quite completely alive and not quite dead.

"Mello," he whispered, willing his heart to pick up again, "Come back. I need your help." Matt continued to plead in his mind, willing Mello to come back. He was willing for a miracle to happen. Willing for something to happen. _Anything._

"Is he gone yet?" Gladstone asked - his tone growing impatient. "It was nearly three or so hours ago. Most people don't make it through the first two hours."

Matt tried to turn his legs to face Gladstone, but the sudden burst of pain in his injured leg prevented him from doing so. He flinched and made sure to turn his face away from Gladstone - to hide the expression of pain on his face. If he was going to die, he was at least going to win against everything else Gladstone threw at him.

He was going to win against the splitting headache from where Gladstone had hit him with his blasted gun, he was going to win against his splintered hands, he was going to win against his stomach aching from the dirt he had swallowed, and he was going to win against the piercing pain in his leg. The only thing he would let himself lose to was a bullet; at least he could promise himself that.

"How could you?" Matt asked through clenched teeth. His rage at Gladstone was indescribable.

"What do you mean?" Gladstone asked, readjusting his grip on Clara. "Hurt your dear little friend?"

"No," Matt replied angrily, "How could you take life so loosely? How could you throw it away and pick it up again as if it were nothing?"

"Because," Gladstone sighed, "It's the strategy that wins the game, Matt."

"No it's not!" Matt shouted, now turning his head to glare at Gladstone. "I may not be able to promise my friends that we'll get out of this alive, or that you won't escape. But, Gladstone, I can promise you one thing. I can promise you that you won't win. Eventually you'll lose, because we won't be the last to see what you are." Matt stopped to take one breath. He breathed in and out, looked Gladstone dead in the eyes and said, "I know we may fail, but we won't be the only ones to try."

"I think you will be," Gladstone smirked, "Impressive speech, though. Despite your optimism, I know the world is predominantly evil. You haven't listened to confession like I have. The lechers, the thieves, the liars! The world is overrun with them!" Gladstone proclaimed. "I just look like the bad guy because I've had the misfortune of being caught."

"You're wrong, Gladstone." Matt contested. "Those people were asking for forgiveness. They recognized a fault and now they want to make amends. You don't even see what your actions are doing! The one crucial thing that you don't understand, Gladstone, is that good always wins. It's in movies, books, and it's written on the walls of history."

"Please, Matt, don't try to convince me of things that you and I both know you don't believe." Gladstone lectured him, taking on an almost fatherly tone. Matt sat confused for a minute or two, unsure of what Gladstone was speaking of.

"How would you know anything about me?"

"That doesn't matter. But I know how evil your father was and how terrible those wretched townspeople were." Matt couldn't believe the words he was hearing from Gladstone. Gladstone shouldn't have, no, _couldn't_ have known about any of those things.

"So naturally I should want to make this world a better place for people like me," Matt replied. "To do that all I need to do is get rid of people like you."

"No, Matt, you've got it all wrong." Gladstone sighed. "To make this world a better place all you needed to do was be like _me_. If you had been like me you could have taken your revenge on those people. You could have taken it all for yourself and then some. Nobody in this world can get anywhere without stepping on a few people to get there." Gladstone explained, lowering his gun. "Join me, Matt," Gladstone invited, "Join me. Join me on my quest to take what's rightfully ours – what truly belongs to we, the oppressed."

"The lives of others?" Matt accused. "I don't have any right to take the life of another, nobody does. And although I truly believe you waste your life on a quest you'll never achieve, I know that I can't take it from you." Matt paused, thinking for a moment. "And I don't have to. Eventually you'll waste it all on your own. I don't need to push you down the path of self-destruction, you're already there."

"But Matt, you believe in lies!" Gladstone exploded. "They're everywhere! All of the dictators, all of the evil deeds, all of the monstrous humans, it's like you said - they're all written on the very walls of history! You don't even have to look more than a few feet in any direction to see cruelty!" Gladstone exploded, gesturing to the cross behind him.

"But we also only have to look a few feet to see the end of that very same cruelty!" Matt exploded back, gesturing to the very same cross. "Yes, he suffered on the cross, but look what became of it!" He gestured to the rest of the church, "Because of that one cruel act, look at everything that's blossomed as a result."

"What about the holocaust? What about every pointless and unnecessary war?" Gladstone argued back.

"But we've also seen the end of the holocaust, and the end to every one of those wars. Evil is just a falling star among everything good. It burns hot and bright for awhile, but eventually it just falls cold and dead to the ground. Evil _is_ destructive, but it's also transient."

"What about nature?" Gladstone argued back. "Humans in general only take from the planet that has given us the ability to live. We take from the ground and pollute the skies!"

"Yes, but we only took to eventually do more good," Matt explained. "Without electricity and energy there wouldn't be hospitals, or the technology to ultimately save lives _and_ the planet."

"But how many times has somebody died from a faulty pipeline, from the things that we took?"

"But we learn from those mistakes," Matt brought forth. "In 1937," Matt stopped almost immediately. Mello hadn't been trying to tell him 19, but rather 1937. He had been trying to give him a date. He had been trying to help him.

Matt thought furiously, blocking out Gladstone who was now looking at him with an extremely puzzled expression. He was trying to hold onto the date. To the little scrap of history that might save his life. With the weight three people's lives placed on his shoulders, Matt thought vigorously to place himself in the middle of the time period.

It was March 18th, 1937. Matt was certain of it. It had been in a rather wealthy school in New London, Texas. It was nearly a regular day, just a little more tiring than most. Pounding headaches rung in the heads of the students and faculty. But then a teacher in the industrial technology room turned on an electric sander. The resulting spark ignited the natural gas that had been leaking under the school for days. That day, around 300 students and faculty members died.

But that was the very spark that sparked the revolution of the natural gas industry. It was then requested that an odorant be added to natural gas, to make a leak much more detectable. Thiol was chosen for its distinctive garlic-like scent and the safety of natural gas increased astronomically. The odorant was changed later, but thiol started everything.

"Gladstone," Matt spoke up suddenly, "When was this fine church built?"

"Construction on this majesty finished in 1907."Gladstone explained proudly. "And it started around 1904." Gladstone added. "Why?"

"Because that only seems to be about one year after construction finished on Westminster Cathedral."Matt noted quietly, staring up at the oddly shaped stained-glass windows. "It's a very popular place. Lots of tourists visit it every year."

"What are you insinuating?"Gladstone shouted. "Are you saying that _my _dear church is a copy of that stupid cathedral?"

"How would you know? You're not the one who built it now, are you?" Matt asked, looking around the church.

"Well, no," Gladstone admitted. "But I know for certain that this church is a work of originality!"

"Do you see these windows, Gladstone?"Matt asked, pointing to the stained-glass. "Also, what about these beautiful ceilings?"Matt asked, turning his gaze toward the ceiling.

"What of them?" Gladstone asked, growing steadily angrier.

"This church is built in the byzantine style, with slight Moorish architecture. It's pretty foreign to Britain." Matt explained, running his fingers along the red-brick wall.

"My church is just more unique that way then." Gladstone replied.

"No," Matt disagreed. "It means that it was built to model Westminster Cathedral. The red brick, the scalpel-shaped windows, and how these buttresses," Matt pointed across the room, "Are confined to the inside are all almost exact replicas of Westminster."

"No!" Gladstone hollered. "I've been to that cathedral, and the decorations and style here are completely different."

"How much do you really know about the Cathedral?" Matt prodded. When Gladstone gave him a blank look he continued, "Because if you knew anything about it you would have known that its inside couldn't be finished until a few years after its construction. Given the extra time, it's pretty obvious that the builders of this church, who lacked any sort of creativity, just decorated it like any other church."

"I see what you're doing," Gladstone smiled, regaining his composure. "Trying to insult me before you die, trying to keep me talking so I don't blow your friends brains out!"

"Good guess, but no. I've come to terms with the fact that you're going to kill us. I'm just really wondering how much you know about history."

"Why does it even matter?"Gladstone pointed out. "Anyone who ever meant anything in history is dead. The past is the past, but I'm here now, focused on the present."

"Then that explains why you don't know that the first lengthy natural gas pipeline was built in 1891. It was probably built in a large city, definitely not in a small town like this." Matt noted.

"Figures," Gladstone agreed. "Big cities never let us small towns get anything good."

Matt ignored him. "Meaning, if this church was built when you say it was there isn't any possible way that you could have natural gas."

"Wait, what?" Gladstone asked. "Didn't you say that you were going to cause a natural gas leak?" Gladstone let out a large laugh. "Look at this!"He said to himself. "You were going to try to beat me with something that's _not even here._"Gladstone continued to chortle, dropping Clara so he could clutch his stomach.

Matt noticed Clara immediately slump to the ground, her head hanging low. Matt took time to notice the fog that was spreading in his mind. Lastly he stole a glance at Gladstone and noticed him rest a hand on the pew from earlier, trying to steady himself after laughing so much.

"Exactly," Matt said, "Because natural gas is supplied from other companies. Meaning they would have had to have added an odorant by now. But, say, if you had a municipal supplier, that the idea of an odorant could be easily overlooked."

Gladstone shook his head and looked back at Matt. "What are you saying, Matt?"

"I'm saying that natural gas wasn't even widely accepted until the 1940s. And prior to that town gas was used by most small towns."

"Yeah," Clara piped in weakly from the corner. Her voice seemed dry and weak, like she had just been woken from a nap. "I think I heard my mom yelling at my dad about it a few days ago. It was something about cost and safety." Clara finished before hanging her head weakly again.

Gladstone seemed confused, so Matt offered an explanation. "Because town gas is supplied municipally and an odorant could be potentially expensive to add, I think that your town, because if its low economic status, refused to add an odorant to the supply."

"Does that mean…?" Gladstone asked, sitting down on the gasoline-covered pew, fighting to keep his eyes open.

"Gladstone," Matt tried. "Don't inhale. We have to get out of here – town gas has carbon monoxide in it." Matt ordered. He slowly stood up and picked up Mello, using all of his strength and the wall for support. His mind was growing foggier and he was having trouble holding onto thoughts for longer than a moment or two.

He was slowly making his way across the church, each movement costing exponentially more effort, toward the door. He looked back to see Clara following in his lead, but Gladstone was just sitting, resting his head on his palm.

Clara got to the door just a few feet ahead of him. "Good job, Maggie," she spluttered. She had just exited the door, and Matt was just through the frame, when he heard Gladstone shout from behind him. Matt turned around just in time to see Gladstone aiming his gun, his finger poised on the trigger.

"I'm not going to go out by myself!"Gladstone shouted, aiming at Matt's chest. "I'm taking you with me."

The sight of the gun sent a sudden surge of energy through Matt and he found himself sprinting out the door faster than he had thought possible. He was moving, but he hardly felt it. He had only made it about ten meters when the sky lit up.

It seemed as if the whole world had been dark, even in the daytime, up until this point. The flash of brightness that attacked his eyes caused him to shut them immediately. He flew into the air and only milliseconds later he felt all of the air leave his body as he hit the ground again. The silence that followed was terrifying.

Matt dared to open his eyes and found himself almost twenty feet away from his original spot. He couldn't hear anything and the ground seemed to be shaking. He scanned the surrounding ground for Mello and found him around ten feet away from him, surrounded and covered with burning debris.

Matt tried to stand up by found himself immediately knocked down by some invisible force. Without his hearing he couldn't regain his bearings. He shook himself and rolled over to Mello. Once he had gotten to Mello he immediately threw the burning debris off of him, not caring about burning his own hands.

He was having trouble getting air into his lungs and breathing seemed to require the amount of effort equivalent to running a marathon. By the time he had managed to get the fire off of Mello, he didn't even have the energy to keep his eyes open. He fell to the ground and passed out, without even the energy to wonder if he'd even wake up again.

* * *

><p>"How did this boy even manage to survive?" A young, womanly voice asked from somewhere far away.<p>

"From what I've been allowed to know from the crime scene reports, they say that the pipe had only been nicked. This allowed for only a small amount of the gas to leak." A fuzzy, incoherent but deep voice explained.

"But still, how did the boy even manage to get that far away? If he had been only a meter or two closer, the effects of the increased psi could definitely have killed him." The young voice asked again. "He did have an injured leg and he managed to carry the other one, right?"

"Correct, but from the little forensics has been able to gather, we can only assume that the man holding the gun hesitated." The man explained. There was a rustle of papers somewhere. Matt could hardly make out anything distinct, but he felt himself slowly rising to the surface of consciousness.

"Keep him under," the man said again. "He's not quite healthy enough to come up yet." Matt felt himself slip back under, away from the world again.

The next time he was roused there was screaming. "I want to see him, Greta!" An annoying and impatient voice shouted.

"He's only just arrived!" An older, wiser voice responded. "He's sleeping right now."

"He can sleep when he's _dead!_ And if he's back, that means he's practically better!" The younger voice proclaimed.

"Why yes, Jinx, why don't you show me your medical degree?" Greta inquired.

"I don't need a medical degree to know when my friend is better!" Jinx hollered. Matt's eyes fluttered and he opened them to see an older, tired woman desperately trying to fend off a feisty, thin, short-haired blonde girl.

"Look," the girl pointed to him, "he's awake. So it doesn't matter anyway." She informed the woman and marched confidently passed her. "Good morning, Mattie!" She greeted him. "Glad to see you're finally awake!"

Matt smiled and gave a weak wave and saw that his hands were thickly bandaged. "Excuse me," he said politely, "but do I know you?"

* * *

><p><em>"With these revisions and gaps in history, so let me help you remember, I've made charts and graphs, that should finally make it clear," – Nothing Better, The Postal Service<em>

* * *

><p><strong>In me you shall trust!<strong>

**(That everything will be fine and dandy).**

**Because now that Jinx is in the picture, everything shall be a bit more lighthearted.**

**Ah.**

**Do you have a Jinx (or a Clara) in your life?**

**I have a Clara. **

**Of course, he's my little brother, and he is only two…**

**But he also just got his head stuck in a trashcan.**

**Have a nice weekend! **

_**Stars and hibernating Dreams out.**_


	18. Linda's Grudge

**Wow. It has been a tough week. **

**My ethernetz was down until Thursday guys, I am so sorry for the delay. I would punish my router, but I feel as if that would only cause more issues.**

**The internet gods hate me.**

**Anyways, since my mother is pestering me for family time, I will keep this short!**

**MTR (The same as cheerleaders hypnotize terrible football teams to win):  
>OUTRAGEOUS PEP-TALK.<strong>

**Cheerleading Squad:**

**R**

**E**

**V**

**YOU**

**THAT SPELLS REVYOU.**

**BECAUSE YOU CANT SAY REVIEW WITHOUT SAYING YOU.**

**GOOO YOU.**

**I don't think that made any logical sense. But, it was peppy enough for my standards.**

**Thanks to my reviewers from last week:  
>Jaci's Spice, LeCait,TheAmateurArtist, miikaachan, DribbleDrabble4ever, and limegreenwordmachine.<strong>

**Sorry I can't reply, mom's making me type this up fast! (Not the story, just open and close).**

**ONWARD TO STORY-IA!**

* * *

><p>Pulchritudinous<p>

"Linda's Grudge"

Matt saw the girl freeze. For a few minutes she just stood there, unmoving. A half-minute passed before she regained her smile.

"Silly Matt," she teased, "how could you forget your worst nightmare?"

Matt remembered her at the word nightmare. "You're that Jinx girl in my math class, right?" He asked. "Linda was telling me about you this morning. You changed your hair color." He noted quietly. "That's why I couldn't remember you."

"Matt, it doesn't take a genius to make a hair color joke," Jinx said, staring at him, trying to figure out if he was seriously joking or not. "This isn't funny."

"I'm sorry," Matt said sympathetically, "But if there's a joke I'm supposed to be making here, I'm not getting it."

"Oh is my dear Mattie okay?" An annoying voice suddenly screeched from the corner. "What happened to him?" The voice asked Greta.

"He's fine; the other hospital did an excellent job of fixing him up."Greta replied. "However, he might have had a memory lapse as a side effect of the trauma." She finished, walking up to Matt. Matt turned his head to find that the source of the voice was Linda.

"Linda!" He exclaimed with relief, "It's good to see a familiar face."

"What?" Jinx exclaimed. "No, Matt. This is _not _happening." Jinx turned to Matt, grabbed him by the shoulders, and began to shake him. "This is _not_ happening!"

Greta was just about to intervene when Linda opened her mouth. "Get away from him Jinx," Linda commanded loudly, pulling Jinx away from him. "You're stressing him out."

"You're going to be the one stressed out when I get a hold of you!" Jinx shouted, losing the minimal control she had over her animalistic temper. She lunged toward, grasping for Linda's neck, when Greta caught her.

"Calm down Jinx," Greta said sternly. "After all, she is right. If Matt doesn't recognize you, you can't force your relationship back – it has to come back on its own."

"I'll force whatever I want to force!"Jinx screamed indignantly, fighting Greta's grip to get at Linda. Matt remained frozen in his hospital bed, not understanding any of the situation before him. Linda was standing triumphantly next to Matt, her hand holding his.

"How dare you, Linda!" Jinx screamed again, being slowly dragged from the room by Greta. "This is your fault! Your fault!"

Once Greta had escorted Jinx from the room Matt turned to Linda. "What did she mean by all of that?" He asked.

"I don't know," Linda replied, keeping her eyes trained on the door. "Some people just shouldn't leave the mental ward I guess." Linda finished, turning toward Matt to let out a lighthearted chuckle.

* * *

><p>It wasn't possible. It wasn't possible at all. There was nothing in the entire situation that could ever equate to this working out so horribly or, in Linda's perspective, so perfectly.<p>

Jinx paced around her trashed room. She admitted to having lost her temper earlier, but now there was nothing she could do about it, well maybe aside from cleaning but Jinx never cleaned. Now, the remaining anger was slowly leaving her mind and clearer thoughts were beginning to form.

Jinx thought furiously. None of it made sense – not what she overheard when Linda and Effie were in the broom closet, and now there was Matt's convenient memory loss. Not to mention that there was Mello who was still being put under for recovery.

_Why wasn't Effie there? _Jinx asked herself, thinking back to the hospital room. _Ever since Matt became my friend, those two haven't spent a moment separated. _Jinx stopped pacing for a moment, listening to the vents above. The vents were Jinx and Effie's thing. And the fact that they were so incredibly perfectly still meant that Effie could only be one place if she wasn't with Linda.

Jinx removed the cover of the vent in her bedroom and hoisted herself into the metallic crawl space above. She was extra careful to close the vent behind her. She was almost certain that Linda would try to find her once Linda knew that she had gone.

Jinx crawled along the vents, careful not to make a single sound. She was almost to her destination when she decided to make a specific detour. She crawled along the opposite way and made her way to the ventilation system in the infirmary.

The smell of sterilized equipment hit her before the words did. Linda was speaking hurriedly, but when Jinx looked down there wasn't anyone waiting anxiously outside the door but Linda.

"You said that nothing would harm them," she whispered quietly into what Jinx now realized was a small cell phone. "What am I supposed to do about all of this now? You put me in a tough situation, you shouldn't have wasted Gladstone." She finished with a snarl.

"What do you mean it isn't your fault? You were supposed to have that man in your power, because I sure did. I didn't mess up my part. I was just stupid enough to let everything go through Effie rather than you." Linda paced through the corridor.

Jinx watched as Linda paced, listening intently to the sound of Linda's uneven breathing. Aside from Linda's strange behavior, this must be why Effie wasn't with her or anywhere around. Effie had failed Linda.

"I suppose you're right," Linda admitted after a moment, "I will have to dispose of Effie for her mistake."

Jinx palms began to bead with sweat under her gloves. She knew she had to get to Effie, because there was nothing even remotely good about crossing Linda. But first she knew she had to see Matt.

She crawled through the vent a little bit more and stared down at Matt. It was so strange. He looked exactly the same, but he couldn't have been more different. She noticed him staring across the room at Mello's closed curtains. Surely he'd been told that Mello had been his best friend. That Mello was the person he'd risked his life for.

Jinx pushed her head into her hands. It was so hard to wrap her mind around. If only Matt hadn't gone. If only Mello had placed a lower rank. If only she hadn't decided to befriend Matt. Or, maybe, if she'd never existed at all these things wouldn't have happened.

But she couldn't think of all of that right now. It hurt that Matt could be gone from her life forever, but she had made a promise to Effie and she had to keep it. She couldn't waste time on Matt right now.

As Jinx crawled back through the vents to the Orchestra Room she couldn't help but blaming herself for Effie's situation. She had promised Effie that she would protect her, but she knew that she had lied. Effie had probably already forgotten the promise they had made each other when they were just eight, but Jinx could never forget that promise.

When she was within thirty yards of the Orchestra Room she heard it. It was hard to believe that the room they had found when they were kids had remained hidden so long. Considering all the people who yearned for adventure, who aspired to be famous architects, or were simply bored it was a miracle the room hadn't been found yet. Especially with Effie's music becoming so loud.

Jinx continued to crawl forward, trying to fight the emotions that Effie was sending through her mind, clouding her thoughts. But this time was different; she'd never heard Effie play like this before. Normally Effie's music was rather melancholic, and Jinx couldn't blame her. Having to consistently be Linda's ragdoll was excruciating.

When Jinx reached the vent above the room Effie looked strange. She always held her emotions in, which is why Linda chose her. Too scared to stand out but too brave to withdraw in. She was always perfectly center in her actions and facial expressions. Linda could easily trick Effie into thinking that she had some kind of control over herself by just using her personality against her.

But all of that seemed to have vanished in the piano room. Every time Effie seemed to escape Linda's grasp here. She was the overemotional fool that Jinx had loved as a best friend here. Here and only here in the piano room. But today was different. Normally Effie carried a kind of determination in her stance and in her posture when she played piano. Right now she looked defeated and angry.

The music continued to play and Jinx withdrew inside, fighting an interior battle with the emotions only Effie's playing allowed her to face. Normally she hid everything she felt, making sure that she'd never have to feel them until she was ready too. Effie was the only person who could ever change that, and that was one of the things she hated about her.

The music stopped. Jinx looked up, noticing that she had held her head between her knees, her palms pressed over her ears. She didn't know how long she'd been sitting like that, but when she looked up Effie was scratching away at the word engraved into her piano.

Jinx leaned forward and suddenly remembered that she'd been the one to engrave the word there. Back when they were still friends and back when the piano was still in decent condition. She remembered all of the nicks that it had accumulated over the years. The first bench Jinx broke when she was trying to stand on it to reach the vent. The amount of scratches from her attempts to play darts from her location in the vent, and the pile of broken instruments in the corner where she had crash landed. But then Linda came along.

Linda had hated Jinx from day one at Wammy's. A lot of people hated Jinx though, so it wasn't taken as anything special. But Linda's hate didn't grow out of the fact that Jinx had friends, was happy, or the fact that was simply annoying. Linda's hate grew because Jinx made her time at Wammy's substantially worse, and it didn't help that Jinx had power at the time.

Jinx was the class clown, and aside from the fact that everyone hated to be picked on, everyone thought it was hilarious when someone else was. Because Linda was new, she became the immediate target. Jinx was only joking at the time, but Linda didn't like jokes. And although she seriously lacked a sense of humor in Jinx's mind, Linda was incredibly smart and calculated.

But Jinx didn't know this. So, one day, while Jinx was right in the middle of betting Effie that she could stuff more sand into her pants, Linda approached. Jinx was absolutely excited when Linda asked to play. Except that Linda never had any intention of becoming friends with Jinx. Only with Effie, and Effie was delighted to have a friend who at least seemed mentally stable. Effie and Linda started playing together more and more, and eventually Jinx faded out.

It was the day that Linda declared that Effie could no longer see Jinx that the piano leg was broken. Effie had broken it; she had been too scared to show Linda her anger but too angry to bury it. She had kicked the piano and the leg had snapped off like a twig, just like that and everything was over.

Jinx lost her status at Wammy's from that point forward. She didn't have to be told that Linda had practically forced Effie to forget about her. It was written all over her face. For the first week she even refused to glance in Jinx's general direction. For the first year she refused to enter the vents at all.

Those vents, all of those passageways, that Jinx had discovered with Effie transformed from Effie and Jinx's place to Jinx's hideout in only a week. It only took a week for Jinx to realize that Effie would never be coming back because it was at the end of that week that Jinx found Effie in the piano room. Jinx had been waiting some time for Effie, for some sort of closure, and just as she was convinced she wouldn't come she engraved a tiny word there that she had discovered only a little while ago. A tiny world that she thought could explain everything that Effie meant to her. But then Effie walked into the room and Jinx froze.

They were in the deepest recesses of the school, where no one could ever have heard them, but they whispered like Linda was only feet away anyway. A hushed exchanging of words, a quick promise, and a bitter goodbye were the only things exchanged that night, but Jinx couldn't have forgotten them even if she wanted to.

And that was why she was here now, watching Effie's tantrum. Her fingers were now bleeding as she attempted to scratch out the word Jinx had engraved there, muttering under her breath. Once she had decided that the word wasn't going anywhere she began to throw things about the room – old cymbals, drum sets, keyboards, stands, and other old musical stuff flew around.

Finally Effie sat down, her hands running through her hair, completely defeated. Every last bit of fight had been drained from her. All of it was spent on the unworthy objects in the room, when the real cause was outside.

Jinx continued to watch, hoping that maybe Effie would say something aloud. That maybe she'd sense that Jinx was there, willing and able to help, just as she had been the day Matt had nearly found out about Effie's Orchestra Room.

Jinx paused. That's really what it was now. It used to be their Orchestra Room and their ventilation system. Now it was Effie's Orchestra Room and Jinx's ventilation system. No in-between. The irony was that the two were so close, even intertwined to an extent, but somehow worlds away.

A loud slam came from the door. Jinx looked up to see a furious looking Linda enter, "What're you doing in here?" She commanded.

"I was," Effie stopped.

"You were what?" Linda asked, pacing around the room. "Moping about while I pick up after you?"

"Linda I didn't mess up." Effie stated firmly. "You did."

Linda took a threatening step forward. "What are you saying?"

"I know things." Effie stated simply and Jinx was sure Effie glanced up at the spot where Jinx was in the vent. Effie knew Jinx was there.

"What do you know, Effie?" Jinx whispered back.

Linda was standing confused. "What do you know, Effie?"

"You say things when you think you're in private. But I hear them and so does the metal beast." Effie said quietly, a smile stretching on her lips. "I have all the information I'd ever need against you."

Linda grabbed Effie's shirt collar. "No you don't, Effie." She said, forgetting about her cryptic comment. "I have the phone conversations with you talking on them, with you plotting their demise. That was all you, Effie, not me." Linda said, pushing Effie back onto the ground. "Now make yourself presentable. I can't be seen with a bloody maniac."

Effie crumpled against the wall but didn't say anything more to Jinx. She didn't even glance at Jinx again, but her words kept running through Jinx's mind. _And so does the metal beast. The metal beast. Metal beast. _

Effie had been talking about the vents. She knew that's where Jinx was. It wasn't exactly common knowledge, but it wasn't hidden either. That's why Linda hadn't thought of it. That was Jinx's upper hand.

But there was the problem of proof. She'd heard Linda say enough things to put her away for a lifetime, but that could all be discredited for lies. Her credibility, compared to Linda's, was miniscule. No, what she really had to do was get it on tape.

Suddenly a crazy, outrageous, improbable idea began to swim around in Jinx's mind. Slowly, an even more extremely mad plan blossomed from that idea and she was herself once again. She was zany and eccentric, but functional, again. She was Superhero Jinx again; she was the girl who would save the world, or rather Mello, Matt, and even Effie, with her boombox.

Now, if only she could retrieve it from Roger.

* * *

><p>"<em>Nothing ever goes right, and nothing's ever easy, but all that's in your red eyes, is all that is believing," Boundary, Avalanche City<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Ah, that dear boombox.<strong>

**Did/does your school have a cheerleading squad?**

**My school has a dance squad. And all of the high school boys hate it. Because it's a combination of the itty bitty 6****th**** graders and the 'supermegafoxyhawt'12****th**** graders. So they don't know if they should cheer or feel disgusted by themselves.**

**But since I gotta run,**

**Thanks again, see you next week (I am positive that there is NOTHING ELSE THAT COULD POSSIBLY HAPPEN TO DELAY IT).**

**Let's not **_**Jinx**_** it now. Ahaha. I'm so story-punny.**

**Stars out.**


	19. The Favor Exchange

**Good evening, divine ones!**

**Anyways, I really enjoyed writing this chapter.**

**And I certainly hope you enjoy it.**

**Thank all ye who follow:**

**Jaci's Spice (I love D. Gray-Man, like, you have no idea), I Am Pandora, limegreenwordmachine (everyone likes a little UPROAR (you'll get what I mean by this in a bit)), ShnieseAcex2 (I am so glad we're not the only ones!)**

**And now for my favorite time of day!**

**MTR: **

**Nature. Because Black Walnut Trees have all the authority in the world.**

**Nature: YOU SHOULD REVIEW, and use biodegradable products. They feel nice on my earthly skin. Real nice. Mmmm.**

**Me: Nature's a little creepy… but,**

**ONWARD TO PULCHRITUDINOUS! **

* * *

><p>Pulchritudinous<p>

"The Favor Exchange"

"NEAR!" A monstrously loud yell echoed throughout Wammy's. Jinx was marching through the hallway, shouting at the top of her lungs, searching for the mysterious albino boy.

"Would you shut up?" One of the doors in the hallway opened, revealing a girl trying to rub the tiredness out of her eyes.

"Rise and shine!" Jinx replied, marching forward, barely paying any attention to the girl.

"I can't exactly shine if there's _no sun out. _It's four in the morning you psycho!" The girl shouted, slamming her door behind her.

"You'll never succeed if you depend on others to shine!" Jinx laughed back, continuing her search. Just a moment later the door opened again and an apple came rocketing toward Jinx. Jinx didn't manage to dodge it, and with a loud _thunk _it hit her head and fell to the floor.

"Real mature!" Jinx called back, picked up the apple, dusted it off, and took a bite. "Thank you for breakfast though!" She called out to the groggy girl, but she didn't leave her room again.

Once she had finished her apple, tossing the core out of a window, Jinx continued on her early stroll, searching for Near. She was just about to give up, having already checked his room, the library, and all of the advanced classrooms when she stopped to lie down for a moment, to organize her thoughts.

Jinx was just starting to doze off, practically forgetting all about her search, when something kicked her head and landed with a _thump. _"Hey!" Jinx said loudly, sitting up to see that Linda had just tripped over her.

"What kind of crazy do you have to be to be asleep in the middle of the hallway?" Linda hollered back, rubbing the part of her forehead she had hit.

"You have to have all the kinds of crazy!" Jinx exclaimed proudly, standing up with her hands triumphantly on her hips. "That's a skill you don't exactly possess, is it?"

"I'd prefer not to have to take pills twice a day." Linda remarked, dusting herself off now.

"Nobody's perfect." Jinx said nonchalantly, leaning against the wall. "You'd be a prime example of that."

"Whatever, you're nobody I need to worry about these days anyway." Linda scowled, taking a step to walk past Jinx. Jinx was about to reply with something snarky, but lost her balance and tumbled to the ground face-first. "Can't even keep your balance," Linda scoffed. "See you later, Nobody."

"'Moo'", Jinx said, rolling onto her back, "Says the cow." She finished, calling Linda a cow, rubbing where her nose had made contact with the ground. Just as she was getting up she caught a glimpse of white pajama bottoms cross her view.

"Hey, Near!" She said, immediately jumping up. Near stopped and Jinx could have sworn that he sighed painfully.

"I heard you were looking for me." He said, turning around.

"Well, I think the whole orphanage heard," Jinx commented, smiling her ridiculously huge smile.

"You're already fighting with Linda? I thought for certain you would have tried to work things out for Matt's sake," Near continued without missing a beat. Jinx felt angry that Near was seemingly lecturing her, even when she was older than him.

"Matt is a mature black walnut tree that, I'm sure, can take care of himself. He doesn't need my pollen." Jinx explained resentfully. Near raised an eyebrow and Jinx explained, "Matt's strong. Trees are strong."

"He doesn't need your pollen?" Near asked.

"No, he doesn't seem to need, or really even want, me anymore." Jinx answered, keeping her tone of voice steady.

"You do know that pollen is essentially the male genitalia, correct?" Near inquired, his eyebrow still raised.

"Does it matter what kind of genitalia I say I have?" Jinx hollered, raising her arms up above her head in exasperation. "I can't walk five steps around here without someone questioning my genitalia!" She shouted, staring at Near. Near turned what Jinx thought was just the faintest shade of pink.

"I'm sorry," Near apologized, looking away. "I didn't mean to offend you."

"No worries!" Jinx said cheerily, placing an arm of hers around Near's shoulders. "If it would really appease you, you can always ask questions about my genitals. Although, I am pretty certain that you could find much better information in a biology book. However," Jinx was cut off by Near raising his hand to stop her.

"I can assure you that I don't require any information on your genitals." He stated matter-of-factly.

"You don't have to be so technical about it." Jinx complained. "Anyways, I have to ask you a favor."

"And that is?" Near asked, excited to get off the awkward topic.

"I need to reclaim an item that Mr. Ruvie has stolen from me," Jinx said ominously. "For this mission, sir, I require your assistance."

"So you did something inappropriate and he confiscated an item of yours?" Near asked.

"I didn't do anything wrong!" Jinx shouted, annoyed. "I didn't know he would be so offended at the idea of a boombox. They're such beautiful creatures!"

Near raised his eyebrow but decided not to question her use of the word 'creatures.' "What exactly do you need me to do?" Near sighed after a moment.

"A ruckus, Near, a ruckus!" Jinx said proudly, pulling a piece of paper out from her pocket. "I need a ruckus!"

"A ruckus?" Near said, slightly confused by her request. How could _he_, the calmest person at Wammy's, cause a ruckus?

"Yes, a riot, uproar, a COUP!" Jinx proclaimed loudly, raising her piece of paper up high in the air.

"I have no intention of overthrowing Mr. Ruvie," Near explained to Jinx. "I believe that he is a stable and reasonable man and well deserving of his title here."

"I knew you'd crush my spirit." Jinx sighed and a disheartened Jinx pushed the piece of paper back in her pocket. "So, I came up with Plan: Get Squished by Millicent."

"Millicent?" Near questioned, staring at the image that Jinx had pulled out of her pocket. On the scrap of paper was a poorly drawn version of him, on the ground, caught in a headlock by some blonde she-male looking thing. "Is that… Mello?" Near wondered, horrified.

"Sure is!" Jinx said excitedly. "I feel as if Millicent fits his looks a little better. A little more feminine, a little more suiting." Jinx elaborated, stuffing the drawing into her pocket. "Ready for action?"

Near couldn't comprehend what he had just seen. This was one of the main reasons he disliked Jinx. She was so, well, crazy that sometimes she had him feeling so bamboozled that he agreed to her crazy terms. It was like she was on a different planet, speaking some different language, and he had no idea what was going on.

"No!" Near said strongly, backing away. "You're not getting me all caught up into one of your schemes again."

"Again?" Jinx was confused. But then she remembered Christmas, three years prior. "That was so long, you can't seriously be holding that against me!"

"What?" Near asked, astonished. "I sat outside for seven hours in the snow, waiting for you to take care of those 'monsters.' When I came back inside you said they'd infiltrated my presents and that they couldn't be recovered! Do you know what happens outside in seven hours in December?"

"If it helps you got really crappy presents!" Jinx hollered. "I mean, what kind of kid asks for a puzzle for Christmas?"

"I do!" Near said back, his volume was only slightly increasing. "I sat outside for seven hours! You forgot you left me out there!"

"I didn't forget!" Jinx said back, "I just didn't remember." Near shook his head and turned around. "C'mon, you didn't even hear my plan." Jinx said softly, her tone slightly pleading.

"Fine, what is it?" Near asked, not turning around.

"I'm just saying, if Mello and Matt have forgotten a lot, then Mello probably doesn't remember how much he's grown to love me over the past few weeks." Jinx explained.

"Love?" Near questioned, a slight smirk on his lips.

"Okay, fine, I lied. Super-mega love." Jinx growled. "But, if he's forgotten that, then on his hate-list, you're probably still first!"

"So, what?" Near asked. "You want me to be the first person he sees so he tries to pummel me into a pulp?" Near asked, slightly offended at how easy she was suggesting this.

"Exactly!" Jinx cried aloud, as if Near had made some sort of breakthrough. "So, you in?"

Near looked at her, completely dumbfound. "Why would you presume that I am going along with such a crackpot plan?"

"Crackpot?"Jinx asked, astonished by his word choice. "Please try to remain civil, mister! We do not tolerate that kind of language in this establishment!"

"I had overheard that you had the worst language in this edifice." Near noted quietly, smirking at her sudden inability to refute his argument.

"It doesn't matter," Jinx said, grabbing Near by the collar, "I think you knew from the very start that you weren't getting out of Plan: Get Squished by Millicent."

"That is correct. I knew." Near admitted as he was dragged through the hallway by Jinx.

"Well, I'm glad we're on the same page," Jinx said, continuing through the hallway. "Because now we initiate Phase 2: we wait."

* * *

><p>Matt was just beginning to take the first bite of real food he'd had in days when a loud noise erupted through the orphanage.<p>

"NEAR!" A grotesque voice, that sounded vaguely familiar, hollered. "Who in the right mind would think that your ugly sheep-face would be the first one I wanted to see?"

"C'mon!" Linda urged, suddenly slapping the sub out of his hand, "Let's go see what Mello is doing!" Matt glanced longingly at the sandwich as it fell to the floor, watching it as he was pulled away from the scene. He couldn't have cared less if the queen of England was prancing around the orphanage in her underclothes. All that was on his mind was his now abandoned sandwich.

"Maybe we can just hear about it later," Matt suggested, not taking his eyes off the sandwich. "Right now, any meal is the most important meal of the day."

"I swear food is all guys think about," Linda groaned. "You can go without one meal. I'll get you a granola bar or something." Matt sighed. Linda had just made him practically throw away a perfectly good, warm meatball sub. But, at least she was going to replace it… with a granola bar. Matt groaned, so far waking up had been the worst thing to have happened to him. It seemed like he wasn't even allowed to eat anymore.

Matt stumbled along after Linda, completely brain dead. It was hard not to imagine a moment where he wasn't brain dead. Everything seemed to blur together. From what he had heard, the life he was living right now, the one that felt so familiar to him, was nothing like who he was. Something inside him knew that too. The people he hung around with, the things they said, and they things they did all seemed normal, but they didn't seem to fit like they used to.

There was a loud crash somewhere and a muffled groan, but it was hard to pinpoint where in the large mass of kids the sound had come from. Matt looked around, snapped back to reality by the sound, and found that Linda was no longer leading him along. He felt unsafe without her around. He never actually enjoyed her company, but she was the only thing that he felt was real anymore. Everything was so surreal and _so loud_. It was so very loud in that hallway, all the kids who swore they knew him, even though he never remembered ever seeing them before. It was the same with all people who greeted him. Even his teachers and Mr. Ruvie knew him better than he knew himself. Everyone seemed to know who was, except for him.

Matt grasped for his head. He had to get away. It was just too loud. He couldn't think straight, he didn't know who was who. He ran through the mess of kids, ignoring people as he passed, running away from the noise.

He ran until he couldn't hear anything anymore. He stopped and leaned against the hallway, his hands on his knees, panting. Suddenly there was the pitter-patter of running feet and Matt felt relieved, hoping that Linda had run after him.

But the girl that turned the corner took no notice of him. She was lugging a large, black boombox on her shoulder, checking behind her back every few seconds for a pursuer. Once she was sure that no one was coming, she stopped to catch her breath. She looked up, brushed the hair out of her eyes, and Matt recognized her face.

She was the girl who had thrown the fit when he was in the hospital. She was the girl who had claimed to be one of his closest friends, albeit his worst nightmare at the same time.

"Hey, Matt," She said calmly, brushing the persistent hair out of her eyes again.

"Hey, Jinx."

* * *

><p>"NEAR!" A loud voice shouted, follow by a mean comment. Jinx smiled to herself, so Near had indeed followed through on their deal. She had promised to do him one favor in exchange for this favor. Jinx watched as Roger sighed and left the room. Now was her chance.<p>

She hopped down from the silver vent and looked around the room. It didn't take her longer than thirty seconds, which was good because it wouldn't be hard for Roger to calm down a recovering, slightly drugged up Mello, to locate the extremely large black boombox.

She picked up the boombox, heaved it onto her shoulder, and ran. Unfortunately, Linda was just walking past Roger's office, probably to tell on Mello, when Jinx exited.

"Get back here!" Linda shouted after Jinx. "You can't take back things he's confiscated, you know!"

Jinx never had a mind to listen to orders and kept running, laughing maniacally all the way. Linda was stronger than Jinx, but she most certainly wasn't as fast. Jinx was sprinting through the hallways, slowly running out of breath, every so often making sure to check behind her shoulder. When she realized that she had outrun Linda a long time ago, Jinx rounded a corner and checked again a few more times, but Linda was nowhere in sight.

Jinx smiled, having had another triumph over Linda, and started to catch her breath. She went to wipe her forehead when she noticed Matt staring at her. She hadn't seen Matt since that day when he woke up, and now he was so close to her, watching her.

"Hey, Matt," She said, making an effort at the nonchalant tone, but she couldn't help but feel a wave of butterflies. Out of nervousness, she brushed her hair out of her face.

"Hey, Jinx." Jinx's heart fell slightly. His tone of voice was so robotic. His tone was unfeeling. It was like she was just another stranger to him.

Jinx was furious. How could he just forget everything that had happened? Everything they had been through. He was the Alice to her Wonderland. Wonderland was hardly anything without its Alice.

"How's it going?" Jinx asked, taking a few steps toward him. She brushed her hair out of her eyes again.

"Pretty good," Matt replied, taking a tentative step toward her. Jinx smiled reassuringly. "You?" He asked in return.

"I'm alright. I was just running away from Linda." Jinx explained, but Matt paid little attention to her response. Instead he was interested in the orange goggles that were hanging around her neck. He reached out and tugged on the strap, as if he recognized them from somewhere. The strap around the goggles was small though, and it caused Jinx to have to move incredibly close to Matt to avoid being choked. He hardly seemed to notice though.

Jinx opened her mouth to explain the goggles, but Matt beat her to it, "They serve a purpose." He said simply. Jinx was just about to ask how he could possibly know that, when he cut her off again, "And these," he said, pointing to her gloved hands, "are for crime-fighting, right?"

"How could you know?" Jinx asked, looking into his eyes, searching for any sign of the old Matt.

"I don't know," Matt said, thinking hard. "I just have these random memories sometimes, but you're always in them. I just don't know if they're memories or simply made up." Jinx noticed that her goggle strap was still in Matt's hand, causing her to lean forward, more towards him. She suppressed a blush the best she could.

Matt's face seemed perplex, like he wasn't entirely sure of what he was feeling inside. "Don't I know you?" He asked.

"I don't know," Jinx replied, "Do you?" She asked, now not minding that they were getting steadily closer.

"What if I were to?" Matt asked, "What if I was to remember it all? Everything. All of it." He asked. Jinx placed her hand around Matt's, the one that was clutching her goggles. She thought about it for a moment and squeezed his wrist, right where his tendons were, causing him to release his grip on her goggles.

When he had released his grip, Jinx strode away, her back to him. "Then I'd say you were a little late." She replied coldly. A part of her was angry at him for forgetting about her. But, another part was furious at herself for not being able to muster up the courage to be there for him.

She was just about to enter one of the vents to her left when Matt spoke up. "It's better to be late than really late." Matt remarked from behind her. Jinx was about to turn around and ask him how he could possibly remember that when she heard Linda shout from somewhere close.

Jinx grabbed her boombox, pushed it through the vent and scrambled through after it, trying to forget about her encounter with Matt. She needed to focus on Effie. She needed to make sure that 100 percent of her concentration was on trapping Linda. That she was completely and entirely committed to getting revenge on Linda. But, a tiny thought kept resurfacing in her mind. She knew that Matt was struggling to choose between two major life paths. One with her or one without her, but, the thought that kept resurfacing was always the same.

_There was a possibility that Matt could come back to her. _

* * *

><p>"<em>Now it's decision time, which one will stay, which one will say goodbye, just my luck to find, someone who makes me want to leave her behind,"- Magnet, Bombay Bicycle Club<em>

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. Feelings, yummy.<strong>

**Anyways, I hope that you're not dissatisfied that they didn't kiss or something. It just doesn't fit yet.**

**SOON though, it will.**

**It's the CIIRRRCLLLEEE THE CIIIRRCCLLLEEE OFFF LIFE, I mean love.**

**Yeah.**

_**Stars out. **_

_**Have a merry week/end.**_


	20. W is for Winner

**Happy Friday for all of you in my time zone!**

**And happy whatever-day for all of you that are not!**

**Thanks to my WONDERFUL reviewers:**

**Jaci's Spice (I like 'I'm Sexy and I Know It, the song really speaks to me :)), ShnieseAce (LION KING MUSICAL TIME), miikaachan (yes, why yes he is –muwhahahah-), WolfishMoon, I Am Pandora.**

**AS YOU ALL HAVE GUESSED,**

**Never mind. I shan't reveal story secrets. **

**ANYWAYS, TIME FOR THE MTR:**

**SPELLING THINGS OUT WITH BODY-CONTORTION.**

**-contorts body into an R- R!**

**-contorts body into an E- E!**

**-contorts body into a V- V!**

**Never mind this. It's too much work. So, uh, just rev then.**

**KEEP ON REVVING.**

**TO LE STORYTIME. Sit down on your little rugs children and get ready for story time.**

* * *

><p>Pulchritudinous<p>

"W is for Winner"

"What are you doing here?" Mello growled at Jinx from his spot on his hospital bed. He'd just woken up to find her on the couch across from his bed. She was staring at him in a way that made him rather uncomfortable, a sunshiny smile stuck on her face.

"I just came to check out the new restraints." Jinx said, somersaulting off of her spot on the couch to yank on the brown straps that now held Mello in place. Mello didn't respond and just looked away. Jinx just looked solemnly and resumed her spot on the couch, her head hanging off the side.

"They're just there because I tore out my stitches." Mello explained.

"I know," Jinx replied calmly. "And because you totally puked your guts out," She added with a laugh. "You should have seen Roger's expression when he found his hallways riddled with barf. He was all, 'this was not in my job description,' and 'Jinx, don't splash that over here!'" She finished with a maniacal laugh.

"They still don't know what it is yet." Mello groaned, ignoring her comments. He sighed and stole a glance at the funny little machine they had attached to him. "What that freak drugged me with, I mean."

"They take a hair sample?" Jinx asked, lifting her gaze to Mello's golden hair.

"Just today." Mello answered, trying to maintain slow, steady breathing now. "They've already tested everything else."

"They said the explosion saved you." Jinx replied, staring up at him again. Mello just laughed a little bit.

"Yeah, by stopping my heart. If the paramedics hadn't been there so quickly, I probably had a fair chance of dying from either." Jinx smiled.

"Well, shucks, I should have slowed them down a little bit." She teased, getting up to leave the room.

"Don't worry," Mello called to her as she left, "I would have done the same for you."

"I'm glad to know things haven't changed!" Jinx called, back, exiting the infirmary. When she got outside to Wammy's hallway it was a little hard to process it all. It was so hard returning to the real world after talking to Mello. The world they were in, which was really just a small cell-like room in a hospital, seemed so much more peaceful than Wammy's. There, in the safety of Greta's care, Linda wasn't trying to kill them and Matt still remembered them. In the safety of the infirmary they could be in all the denial they wanted.

Jinx sighed, turned on her heel, and took a giant, over-exaggerated step down the hallway. As much as she loved the idea of being a superhero, it certainly called for a lot of research. Well, more like paperwork. Jinx did not like paperwork.

When she got to her room she stood outside the door for a few moments. The research she required was simple. She just needed to know how to make her boombox record sounds. But, that required work. Work wasn't any sort of fun for anybody, especially not Jinx.

"You know what?" Jinx asked herself loudly and impatiently when she entered her room.

"What, oh what, beautiful, genius, fantastical Jinx?" She replied to herself.

"I never do any work, and I'm not starting today. That's what." She said, stopping to pick up a small stool and her giant boombox. "Somebody in those nerdy computer classes will know what I want."

Jinx's trek down to the computer lab with her bulky objects was surprisingly easy. There really was nothing to Jinx's build. Tall and lean, some would say. Jinx just considered herself to be a house that someone was too lazy to finish. She was just the framework, only skin and bones really.

When she burst through the door all of the engineering students looked up. Most of them were older, but Jinx noticed a slightly disgusted, black-eyed Near let out a groan from the back of the hallway.

"Hello all!" Jinx greeted proudly, making her way to the middle of the room, pushing desks over as she went. When she got to the middle, she picked up a desk she had knocked over, set her stool on top of it, and stood up.

"What do you want?" Near asked, now incredibly repulsed, from the back.

"I would like some help with my – hey!" Jinx shouted suddenly, looking around. "Where's the teacher? Normally I'm dragged out by the ear by now." She said, showing off her bruised ear. It was pretty much a regular occurrence to be dragged from classrooms.

"The teacher hasn't been here all semester." One of the other students told Jinx. "We're self-taught. Wammy's trusts the kids that show brilliance. Not that you would know that."

"My friend Mello, who is in the care of some excellently crafted hospital bracers, would care to disagree." Jinx noted.

"Nobody said Mello was all that brilliant." One of the older kids scoffed from the back.

"Excuse me, but Mello is extremely brilliant." Jinx looked around to see that Near, who was now covering his black eye, had been the one to speak. "He just doesn't control his behavior very well." The rest of the class went silent. "What do you require, Jinx?" Near asked, glaring at Jinx now.

"I need some help getting this boombox here to record sounds." Jinx said simply, putting her hands on her hips and striking a heroic pose. "For justice!"

Near sighed and looked around at the class. They immediately started buzzing with answers to her questions. She heard words like 'transmitter' and certain variations of the word 'sound.' Near simply sighed and walked up to the desk that she had tenderly placed her boombox on.

"She could transmit her message then, it would get the message out faster and to a lot more ears." A boy said from the corner and Jinx nodded her head in approval.

"Yeah," a girl next to him agreed, "But then her radius would be constricted. Say she only gets sixty miles out of it. Now put this on a plane and we've only got 60 miles north, east, south, and west. Now, say she wants to go north and west, now her distance is lessened in both directions." The girl explained, sketching out a graph on a sheet of paper. The boy, and Jinx, considered this.

"Then I suppose we could put in an amplifier for it somehow, or work on AM at night, where the signal is better. However, distance will still be a problem."

"Or," Near interrupted from his position next to the boombox, "we could show our dear Jinx this little button that says 'record.'" Near pointed out. "Then she can put it on the internet and send it to Hong Kong if she really liked." Near finished, causing the entire class to erupt in laughter. "And here," Near said, walking across the room, "Take this cassette tape. On us." Near added, tossing the tape at Jinx, knowing she was already having trouble balancing on the stool.

Jinx tried to catch it, but ended up losing her balance. She fell crashing to the floor, hitting her head a few times as she went.

"That's for the black eye." Near said coldly from across the room, returning to his work.

"Don't worry," Jinx groaned, lifting herself up from the pile of desks. "I'm all good. Didn't hurt anything vital."

"Because that would be such a shame." The kids crowed before turning their backs and returning to their work as well. But, as Jinx left, pocketing the cassette and heaving the boombox on her shoulder, Near couldn't help but wonder what she could possibly be up to.

Jinx groaned once she left the room and continued on her journey. She was halfway down the hallway when she heard Near call after her.

"What exactly are you doing?" He inquired, sitting in the hallway, rolling a pair of dice around in his palm.

"Why, I am defending the sacred institution of justice." Jinx replied easily, not turning around. Near sighed, deciding not to argue with her choice of words.

"Riddle-master Jinx," Near said calmly, trying to appeal to her, "What exactly does that even mean?"

"I guess you could say I want to protect my friends," Jinx said, turning around to smile at Near now, "That's really just it."

"You do know that Gladstone cannot get them anymore, correct?"

"Maybe they were safer with Gladstone than they are here." Jinx said, turning around again to walk away, finished with their conversation.

"Are you admitting that you are a detriment to them?" Near called to her.

"Remember," Jinx shouted back, waving her arm over her head in acknowledgement. "I admit nothing." Near sighed and returned to class.

Jinx continued to stroll through the hallways, not paying much attention to where she was going. Or, at least she wasn't until she heard Linda's high-pitched laugh.

"So things are going swimmingly?" Linda asked, but Jinx didn't hear a reply. Assuming that Linda was on the phone Jinx immediately got out the cassette Near had given her, kissed it for good luck, and put it into her boombox. She set it on the floor and stood in the middle of the hallway, waiting for Linda.

"Great. I'll dump all the blame for the Gladstone thing on Effie and-" Linda stopped in her tracks, seeing Jinx standing in the hallway. "I'll call you back later."She finished abruptly, slapping the phone shut.

"We're not allowed to have personal phones." Jinx told Linda. Linda smiled and took a threatening step toward Jinx. Jinx responded by discreetly using her foot to press the 'record' button Near had shown her earlier.

"We're not allowed to murder people either. But that didn't exactly stop me." Linda said viciously, circling around Jinx.

"Is that a confession?" Jinx asked, pushing Linda away with her hand. Linda responded with a coldhearted, empty laugh.

"I suppose it is." She giggled. "But it's not like you can do anything with it. It's your word against mine."

"Who said your word is more credible than mine?" Jinx fired back, taking a threatening step toward Linda, but Linda didn't back away.

"Experience. Your file. Greta's statement about you having a psychotic break. I get better grades. I'm smarter. I've never been out of line. Need I go on?" Linda pushed Jinx back. "There's nothing you can do."

Jinx stood quietly for a moment. "Why?" She finally asked. "What have they ever done to you? What has anybody ever done to you?"

Linda stared at Jinx as if she couldn't believe what she was saying. "It's not about them!" She shouted finally. "It's about you! About what you did!" She said, closing the distance between herself and Jinx. "You don't deserve to be happy." She growled in Jinx's face.

Jinx couldn't believe what she was hearing. "So you try to commit murder – no, you try to murder my friends just to ensure that I'm miserable?"

"You're lucky I kept Effie. I recognized that she'd be valuable. Now I at least have someone to take the fall!" Linda laughed maniacally.

"You're just going to use her?" Jinx was appalled.

"She made it so easy. That girl is so freaking dumb. She left her fingerprints everywhere. She didn't even bother to make the calls on a prepaid phone! That stupid idiot used the orphanage phone!" Linda laughed again.

"That's because she trusted you to take care of her!" Jinx shouted back, but Linda seemed to know better.

"No, Jinx, that's the beauty of it all. Because the fact is that she trusted _you _to keep her safe from the Big Bad Linda. She trusted you, and you're the one who let her down." Linda cackled again and Jinx was lost for words. What Linda had said was true. Effie had expected Jinx to keep her safe.

"You'll never get away with this." Jinx said weakly.

"Except for the fact that I will," Linda said easily, walking down the hallway again. "You'll lose again, because you never win."

Jinx remained statue-still until Linda was far away. When she was sure Linda had gone, she smiled to herself and made a 'W' out of her hands.

"Except that you're wrong, Linda." Jinx said, closing one eye to line the 'W' up with her boombox. "'W' stands for 'winner.'" She finished, pressing the record button again to stop the recording.

* * *

><p>"<em>Usually when things have gone this far people tend to disappear, no one will surprise me unless you do, I can tell there's something going on,"- Young Folks, Peter Bjorn and John<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for another great week!<strong>

**So, I have a question.**

**In Kindergarten we had these rugs we sat on for story time, they were like individual-sized rugs, and each had a letter of the alphabet on it. I think I was like 'Q' or something. Did you have awesome stuff in kindergarten? **

**See you all!**

**Stars out.**


	21. Cassettes

**As summer gets closer, I swear the weeks get longer.**

**I'll keep this short and sweet, LIKE THE POWER PUFF GIRLS (aside from Buttercup anyway), so you can mosey on down to reading. **

**Thanks to my kind and wondrously plentiful reviewers whom I care for greatly:**

**Torixx3, Jaci's Spice ( HAPPY FRIDAY! ), WeinerBeiner (it's okay, I had bullies in kindergarten), I Am Pandora, WolfishMoon, Silver Levi**

**Now, for mi favorita, THE MTR:**

**Well, they made a new review button! You should test it out. Take it for a test drive. Drive it around the lot. See how it feels on your skin. SMELL THAT NEW BUTTON SMELL.**

**Enjoy :) **

* * *

><p>Pulchritudinous<p>

"Cassettes"

When Jinx woke up the next morning she knew exactly where Effie was. Effie was in the piano room again. It would have been a hard fact to miss because Jinx had fallen asleep in the vents, waiting for Effie to leave. Now Effie was up, and Jinx had been rudely awakened by her pounding away on the piano keys. Jinx sighed as she stared down at Effie, watching her empty her rage out on the keys. Jinx promptly covered her ears, but even just those first few angry notes made her think about things she didn't want to. These things mainly had to do with L.

Over the past few days, while Jinx had been working out a plan to get what she needed out of Linda, Effie had been spending at least six hours in the piano room a day. Of course, not all of it was playing. Very little of her time here was actually spent playing anymore. Mostly she threw things around, cried, and threw tantrums.

Jinx sighed. She'd never seen Effie like this, not even in the few years she had been hanging out in the vents while she played. She'd always been so placid, calming tapping the keys, releasing complex emotions through even more intricate piano rhythms. Jinx wondered if that is what Watari, or maybe even L, had seen in Effie. She had an extraordinary ability to communicate in a language that didn't even seem human. But Jinx just couldn't figure out how L could have seen that in Effie. She didn't understand how Linda had even figured it out. Effie's piano playing was one of her biggest, most intimate secrets, and if Effie wanted to keep something secret, Jinx knew that it would always be a secret.

When the music stopped Jinx looked up to see Effie looking around the room for something to break. It would be a challenge for her to find something new, because over the course of the past few days Effie had destroyed everything in the room. There was nothing new for her to destroy.

Just as Effie had locked onto a cymbal that was still in a decent condition (it was only dented in four to five places), Jinx jumped down from the vent. She was finally ready to prove to Effie that she had held true on her promise. She was just starting to reach for the tape, to show Effie, when Effie interrupted her.

"Been enjoying the show, have you?" Jinx looked up to see Effie gripping the cymbal tightly, glaring at her.

"I just came to do what I promised, Effie." Jinx said simply, tucking the tape back into her pocket. She slowly raised her hands to show Effie that she meant no threat. "I surrender." She said with a small smile.

"I figured you'd forgotten," Effie said, dropping the cymbal. "It doesn't matter if you did though. I'm thoroughly screwed." Effie finished resentfully, turning around to kick a drum set. "Thoroughly screwed!" She exclaimed again with a sense of insanity as she continued to kick the drum set.

"Effie," Jinx whispered calmly, "I'm no screwdriver, but you can consider yourself officially unscrewed." Jinx smiled, trying to reassure Effie, even though she was pretty certain that Effie was broken in a way that wasn't fixable. However, what she said seemed to reach Effie.

"What do you mean?" Effie asked, a little bit of sanity returning to her tone. "What did you do?" Effie asked again. The insanity from earlier had completely left her voice. Now all Effie seemed to feel was afraid.

Jinx reached slowly into her back pocket. "You remember what I promised, right?" She asked, pulling the tape out of her pocket and holding it in the air. "I got what I needed."

"What did you get?" Effie asked, reaching for the tape, trying to snatch it out of Jinx's hand. Jinx was too quick for her though and managed to hide it behind her back.

"I got evidence," Jinx said slyly, "for that thing you were in danger of." Jinx finished, trying to decide if Effie thought Jinx knew something she didn't.

"What for?" Effie was panicking again, reaching desperately for the tape Jinx had hidden behind her back.

"What do you know, Effie?" Jinx asked quietly.

"What's on that tape, Jinx?" Effie asked in return, except much more sternly.

"It's Linda's confession that she attempted to hurt Matt and Mello." Jinx admitted finally. "Now tell me what you know," she demanded from Effie.

"You can't show that to anybody." Effie threatened, pointing to the tape.

"Why can't I? Mello's in awful condition, and both he and Matt nearly died!" Jinx reminded her, wondering what kind of crazy had afflicted her. "Also, she's trying to frame you for the entire thing!"

"Just be happy it wasn't you!" Effie shouted, grabbing for the tape again.

"What do you mean 'wasn't me?'" Jinx was shocked.

"I promised…" Effie paused, staring at the floor. "I promised that I would take the fall for her if she didn't try to kill you. So she settled for your friends instead."

"Effie don't you understand?" Jinx couldn't believe what she was hearing. "That's exactly what you gave her! _You _are my friend. You didn't just let her take Matt and Mello, but you too! Can't you see that I could have handled her?" Jinx grabbed Effie by the shoulders and shook her violently. "You aren't supposed to protect me, you crazy! I'm supposed to protect you."

Effie broke out of Jinx's grip and stepped away. "You've always been so silly, Jinx." She giggled. "Why do you ever even think I became friends with her?"

"Because you had no other choice?" Jinx questioned. She had never even had the faintest idea that Effie might be trying to protect her. It would have had to have been incredibly difficult because she was always provoking Linda in one way or another.

"I did it to keep her away from you, smart one." Effie scoffed, reaching for the tape again. "Don't report that to Roger."

"You want me to just let her go?" Jinx screamed, "I can't just let that psycho go! She tried to kill my friends. All of my friends! Everything! All over something as stupid and trivial as a few insults when we were younger!"

"It wasn't about the petty insults, Jinx. It never was." Effie shook her head. "How could you think it would be that simple?"

Jinx was dumbfounded. She couldn't comprehend the words she was hearing. Her entire life she had assumed that Linda had wanted her gone because she used to make fun of her. Jinx had felt _slightly_ remorseful her entire life over something so trivial. She'd thought Linda's anger was just a little vendetta. She had underestimated Linda's ability to hate.

"If it's not that, what is it? Am I too fiercely awesome?" Jinx asked with a small smile, only half joking. Effie didn't speak for a long time.

"It's… It's control, Jinx. She needs it. She feeds on it. Without it, she… she's not right in the head." Effie explained, looking incredibly worn.

"That's why we need to turn in this tape; she needs that control taken away from her!" Jinx explained, flashing around the tape. "She needs to know that what she did is not okay." Jinx finished softly, talking more to herself than Effie.

"But it will never get through to her head!" Effie shouted. "She's as stubborn as…" Effie stopped, searching for an analogy. Jinx giggled, Effie was never able to complete an analogy successfully.

"A mule?" Jinx offered, smiling.

"This isn't a time to be laughing, Jinx!" Effie cried. "I don't think you understand that Linda… Linda… Linda, well, she's a… a…" Effie stuttered, searching for an adjective that fit Linda.

"A self-righteous, annoying, conceited brat?" Jinx offered.

"No," Effie disagreed, "Those aren't enough. She's deranged - crazy. She's murderous, Jinx." Effie pushed her point by throwing her arms above her head. "Her aim is to crush you, Jinx, nobody else matters. It's always been about _you._"

"About me?" Jinx asked, confused. "How could it have been about me? She tries _not _to associate with me."

"Haven't you connected the dots?" Effie asked, astonished at Jinx's ignorance.

"What is with everyone and these questions? I am quite obviously ranked last! My dot-connecting abilities are severely underdeveloped!" Jinx yelled finally, her annoyance with people questioning her intelligence was peaking.

"Look at everything, Jinx." Effie commanded. "That day in the playground, she went after me so you would be left alone. Everything has been about you. Matt? Remember how she purposely went after the new kid? She can't let the new ones slip through her fingers."

"Ha!" Jinx shouted, pointing at her. "See how that worked out? I had friends for awhile!"

"But then Mello came in, Jinx. You remember how Mello's roommate requested that Mello be moved? That was with Linda's persuasion."

"Are you telling me…?" Jinx was having trouble breathing. The walls of her world were starting to close in.

"Yes, and when Mello became Matt's roommate, Linda knew that he would be proud of Matt. She knew that he would be proud of Matt because Matt was smart, but not as smart as him. That's how they got to be friends." Effie explained further. "That's when she made the recommendation."

"What recommendation?" Jinx asked, grasping at straws, searching for any idea that might make sense in her head.

"You didn't know about the recommendation?" Effie's expression turned to one of disbelieving. "To work on outside cases… Linda recommended that Matt try it out to Roger. She had some really concrete reasons. Roger told L and L asked Mello about it, and Linda knew Mello would agree." Effie finished. Jinx didn't need any help to connect the last dots.

"So she created a case where she had control. Because that's what it's about. It's about me and control and nothing else. She created a case where she could kill my friends and I couldn't do anything about it. She is in control of my life, isn't she?"Jinx asked, leaning against the wall for support.

"No." Effie said firmly. "If there's one thing Linda overestimates, it's her control. That's how you and Matt got to be friends in the first place. She never intended for that to happen." Jinx was quiet for a moment, digesting everything she had just heard.

"So, we're really not just pawns in a game that Linda controls?" Jinx asked, standing up again.

"As long as she overestimates herself, we've got a chance." Effie confirmed.

"Then this tape," Jinx held it out again, "is the answer, Effie. I can't keep it hidden. I've got to show it to Roger." Effie was about to reply when heavy footfalls came from down the hallway. The two girls froze, unsure of what it was on the other side of the door, but they were hoping that it wasn't Linda.

"Effie, get out here right now!" The footsteps belonged to Linda.

"Go!" Effie commanded Jinx loudly. "Get out of here! Get out! Out!" She screamed at Jinx, and Jinx didn't hesitate at all. She flew through the opposite door, away from the footfalls. She was halfway down the hallway when she heard the door slam open. For a second, she considered going back for Effie.

"Keep going!" She heard Effie shout. "Just keep moving and don't stop! Keep the tape safe!" Jinx didn't need any more reassurance than that, and bolted into the Orchestra Room.

She looked around the room for something that could help her. There were loud voices coming from the piano room, but Jinx tuned them out. Effie was right, for now she needed to keep the tape safe. Quickly, she stuffed the tape into her pocket and ran around the stage.

There were a lot of items, but none that would be immediately useful. There were a few music stands, some microphones, chairs, and even a few broken instruments. Jinx looked around desperately. She couldn't exit directly into the orphanage, if what Effie had said about Linda was right, Linda would expect that. She needed an idea that wasn't out of her normal bag of tricks. She needed something different.

Jinx looked around the ceiling of the room when she spotted the window that Matt had fallen out of when he and Mello had come to find her. Jinx examined it for a moment and smiled to herself as an idea popped into her head.

Jinx grabbed a stand and a microphone, cord and all. She ran over to the wall and was ecstatic to find the window still cracked, although she wondered how in the world the groundskeepers could have missed it.

Jinx frowned and took the bottom, x-shaped part of the music stand off. She used the long pole that used to connect the bottom to the top to push the window open. Jinx, checking over her shoulder, then tied the cord from the microphone around the bottom of the stand and threw it out of the window, letting the stand catch on the side window. She gave it a tentative tug, and began to climb up the cord. Just as she was nearing the window she heard Linda shout from behind her.

Jinx scrambled through the window, pulled up her cord, and shut the window without a glance back. When she looked behind her she caught a glimpse of Linda as she was running back to the piano room. Jinx sighed and knew that she would have to leave soon, Linda was coming.

"Good luck, Effie." She said quietly under her breath, exhaling softly. But, her peace didn't last long.

"That was some serious Indiana-Jones stuff right there," a voice called out to her from across the courtyard. "You're a pro and stuff like that, aren't you?" Jinx looked up to see that Matt was the source of the voice.

Jinx looked at him and something was different. She couldn't quite pinpoint it, but she didn't want to. Ever since the day she had stolen the boombox, he'd been back to the person he was before she'd met him. Snobby and conceited, he was the old Matt. To her, he wasn't even really Matt anymore. She sighed and lifted herself from the ground.

"I can't stay here for long." Jinx said, trying to maintain a straightforward attitude.

"Well why don't we go somewhere different?" Jinx looked up to see a smile on his face that looked so familiar. She reminded herself again that he wasn't the same Matt. She held her ground and didn't move.

"C'mon," Matt urged, turning around, walking toward the door to the orphanage. "Come with me to Wonderland, Alice." Jinx raised an eyebrow. She had said nearly the same thing to him what felt like so long ago, but she decided she wouldn't question it.

"Sounds like something that a rapist would say." Jinx said cautiously. "I think, as a woman, I should say no." She said, but walked toward him anyway. This time Matt didn't reply, but simply chuckled, holding the door open for her now.

"You coming?" He asked finally.

"Are you crazy?" Jinx asked, feeling like their roles were entirely reversed.

"No! I'm not crazy!" Matt made a big commotion, acting like he was completely offended. After a moment he smiled and whispered, "Maybe _you're _the crazy one." Something about him was so familiar.

Jinx wasn't sure what she was doing anymore, but she reached into her pocket and pulled out the cassette tape, holding it at her side. Maybe it was the look in his eyes, or the words he was saying, or simply how he held himself, but Jinx felt like right then and there Matt was Matt again. The world was right again. The Earth was spinning comfortably east again, just like it always had. Everything was finally the same, and for a small moment she trusted him. So she loosened her grip on the tape and held it towards him.

"I have something to show you."

* * *

><p>"<em>Have heart, my dear, we're bound to be afraid, even if it's just for a few days, making up for all this mess,"- Run, Snow Patrol<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Ah yes, Matt is my favorite.<strong>

**Is Matt your favorite DN character? Did you love him right away, or did you learn to?**

**Because I loved him from the first two-second clip he was seen in the anime.**

**:) **

**Stars out.**


	22. Home

**Hello all! Sorry for my extended absence… But thank you to all of you who have followed/favorited despite me being gone. Your support will always mean the world to me!  
><strong>

**MTR: **

**Well, you should review, as my welcome back present!**

**Thank you and please enjoy!**

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><p>Matt was thoroughly uncomfortable. Every cell in his body felt unnatural sitting in a tiny room with some rich, prissy, high-class therapist waiting for him to gush every detail about his innermost thoughts. Matt was never really that kind of person – he always considered his mind to be a sacred, personal place. He utterly detested the idea of someone analyzing and evaluating every part of his mind.<p>

"So, Matt," the therapist began pointedly, growing impatient by Matt's lack of responsiveness, "How has your amnesia been going?"

"Before we start any of this crap," Matt paused, choosing his words carefully, "how exactly is some pedigreed, Ivy League graduate supposed to help me with amnesia?" Matt huffed and turned his head. In order for him to be cleared from the hospital wing he had mandatory therapy sessions with Dr. Abendroth. However, he hated Abendroth. He hated his tweed coat and his black-rimmed spectacles. He despised his yellow-lined notebook and his, probably, overpriced pens. But, most of all, Matt absolutely abhorred Abendroth's power to make a statement about his own sanity. In Matt's mind, nobody could possibly understand how he felt.

"I suppose you're feeling a little upset by my presence, Matthew," Abendroth noted, "but I believe that you could try to explain it to me."

"You could never understand me," Matt sputtered. "You could not imagine what I feel."

"You underestimate my imagination," Dr. Abendroth spoke calmly and collectively. "You've lost everything: your parents, your family, and even your whole perception of life. All that you have left is your faith in those around you, and even that is not something you can accurately control. Matthew, you're afraid."

"Afraid?" Matt shouted at the ignorant, wasp-like man. "You don't even know what that word means! Every single day I am drowning while everyone else is breathing around me. They look at me and they just don't understand. They don't understand how the things that are so easy for them are so unfathomably difficult for me. I cannot simply trust, I cannot simply behave, and I just absolutely cannot seem to be normal for four seconds without questioning every fiber of my being!"

Matt paused for a moment to catch his breath. He was spending most of his energy trying not to scream and cry like a child – he just needed to remain calm. "I guess," he began, "the question is: am I here still, or am I just a shade of who I used to be?"

"Suppose it's impossible to recover that person again," Dr. Abendroth explored for a moment, "what kind of person would you want to be?"

"After… the incident… I'm not exactly sure anymore." Matt whispered softly.

"Yes, I understand." Dr. Abendroth bowed his head in sorrow for a moment. "I heard about the tragic happenings. Has that changed your perception at all?"

"… Yes." Matt began slowly. "I don't know much of her, or really anything really, but I feel like I can trust Jinx."

"It makes sense," Dr. Abendroth agreed, "She put everything on the line for you, Mello, and Effie." Matt flinched at the sound of Effie's name. He hadn't known her well, but her story rang loudly around the orphanage. Matt couldn't imagine how Jinx was feeling.

"She could use a friend, you know." Dr. Abendroth brought up quietly. "Mello is too busy getting healthy to spend much time with her these days."

"I doubt she'd want to speak to me… after all that I did." Matt stated quietly.

"I seriously doubt she'd reject anybody right now, Matt."

Matt shifted uncomfortably in his chair for a few minutes. Dr. Abendroth continued to look at him expectantly, but Matt was too much of a coward to do anything about it. Jinx was an intriguing mess, and he didn't want to get his hands dirty. Trying to be Jinx's friend was a risk. She could reject him and she could accept him. Matt wasn't entirely sure which outcome, if either, was desirable.

"Alright, Matt," Dr. Abendroth sighed, "Consider this my first assignment: our session is over today, but over the next week I expect you to at least attempt to make a new friend." Abendroth smiled and got up from his chair to leave the cramped room.

Matt glanced at the clock. "Why are you leaving? It's only been fifteen minutes."

"Matt, I have no question that you are indeed sane." Dr. Abendroth smiled, "I've gotten further with you than I have with some patients in two hours. However, your recovery isn't dependent upon how much time you spend with me. Your success is dependent on how much you want to be successful."

Abendroth smiled one last time and left without another word. Matt sat in the room for a few more minutes, trying to muster up some courage. Maybe, just maybe, being a friend to Jinx wasn't about him after all. Perhaps, she just needed a favor – somebody's shoulder to cry on – and he could do that for her. She was his hero, and just this one time, possibly, he would be able to be one to her.

* * *

><p>"It's not fair!" Jinx screamed at an overly-exhausted Roger. "What more do you need from me?" Jinx shouted again. An echo rebounded off the walls of the wooden room and for a few moments there was only a faint ringing sound.<p>

Her knees buckled and she shrank to the ground. She lifted her head to meet L's dead eyes in the corner. She could tell that he was tired and stressed. She knew that he had never intended for any of this to have happened, but he was such a coward. He had to have seen all the injustice running rampant. After all, her sense of justice might be the one thing she was proud to have inherited from her father.

"How can you be letting her go?" Jinx put her head in her hands. "After all that she did…"

"We're not letting her go free." L interrupted calmly. "We're simply placing her into a separate home where she can be properly monitored."

"Yes, how about we let Linda live in a nice little house off the coast of the sea, while Effie got to rot in a penitentiary until she died."

"Effie was out of our control. She was a ward of the court, and therefore we could not protect her. Had we known that she was experiencing suicidal tendencies, we would have certainly attempted to do otherwise." L explained and Jinx swore she saw pain in his lifeless eyes for a moment. A part of her felt cruel for blaming L, but another part of her felt good to finally blame someone.

"Who wouldn't be?" Jinx raised her head again to meet L's eyes. "She trusted not only Roger and me, but she trusted you. How can it be that the world's greatest detective couldn't bail her out just as nicely as he bailed Linda out?"

"We launched a thorough investigation on the case," L explicated coolly, "And all evidence pointed to Effie." Jinx balled up her fists. How could he blame Effie? She knew that he knew the truth and he was just letting Linda slide away with it. She didn't feel bad anymore; everything was his fault.

"You have taken everything away from me, L!" Jinx screamed, rising to her feet again. "You took Mom, you took Matt with your stupid detective games, you took Mello, and now you've taken Effie! You ruin everything you touch! Why can't you just leave my life already?"

"I made a mistake," L conceded, "I should never have brought you to Wammy's. It's too close to my line of work, people could find you here."

"People?" Jinx shrieked. "The only one who's found me and hurt me is you!"

"Skylar," L spoke gravely now, "I am your father and you will listen to me. I am moving you to San Diego within the week. Pack your things."

"S-San Diego?" Jinx couldn't believe her ears. "That's where Mom is…"

"You're old enough to decide for yourself now. All visitations with her will be under my supervision." L spoke quickly and decisively.

"If I'm old enough to make my own decisions, shouldn't I be allowed to stay here?"

"Absolutely not." L's tone was stern. "My work has grown more dangerous for me and my family, and Wammy's is the last place I will allow you to be."

"Allow me?" Jinx was growing more and more furious. "You've been absent for almost the entirety of my life! What suddenly gives you power over me?"

Jinx knew her question was meaningless. She knew that nothing she could ever say would ever change his mind. He was set in his ways and he was stubborn. She was just like him and she knew that he had meant what he said. He was ripping her one true home away from her just like he always did. He let her stay at a place long enough to get attached to a place and to the people. It was like he just didn't understand.

He didn't understand how she knew which tree was the best to climb, and which side of the building was the shadiest on a summer day. He didn't care that she knew all the nooks and crannies of the orphanage, or which hour of the night was the best time to score some late-night ham. He could never understand.

"I hate you, L!" Jinx finally screamed as she bolted out of Roger's office. She'd even miss that office. She'd been in there a thousand times getting yelled at for various reasons. Then there was Roger. She'd definitely miss his yelling, lecturing, and his odd fascination for various types of insects. As much as he was a pain, she really did love Roger.

She ran and ran through the halls of the orphanage, not really caring where she was going. It took a few minutes until she realized where her feet were subconsciously leading her. She passed the vent that had been broken a long time ago. She passed the courtyard where she'd once fought invisible crime with Matt by her side, and she passed the room where they'd once had detention together. It was only a few minutes later that she found herself outside his door.

The old mahogany door had a familiar feel and look to it. She remembered every crack and delicate swirl to the finish. She remembered how she used to sit across the hall and wait for him to wake up so they could start their adventures. She could easily recall every single time he smiled and his wonderfully girly belly-laugh that he used to do whenever she fell flat on her face. She felt that she could remember everything so clearly, so why couldn't he?

Jinx shrank up against the wall while a tear slid down her cheek and dropped onto her leg. Another tear followed in the same pattern, and soon there were too many to count. They sloshed down her cheeks and splattered against her legs. She couldn't quite figure out why she couldn't seem to stop crying so much these days. Maybe it was because after all of her hard work, Linda had still managed to get away. Or maybe it was because she couldn't save Effie after all. Or because Effie was truly gone, or Matt didn't remember her, or the fact that Mello might have permanent health problems because the idiotic doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong. Everything seemed to be crashing down and no one could possibly comprehend it all.

Suddenly, a warm body sat down next to her. She was so ashamed by her tears that she couldn't bear to look up, but she just wished that the person would leave. They were just too close for Jinx to feel comfortable. She could feel the person's shoulder on hers and the warmth of their body on her skin. There was only their warmth and the silence of the hallway covering them like a blanket. Jinx wanted to scream at the person, to tell them to leave, but her throat was just to dry to make a sound.

"Sometimes," the person spoke up suddenly, "I feel like I am too far gone, y'know. Like I'm just a fraction of what I used to be… or who I'm supposed to be. I feel like I am so far gone that most people wouldn't even know if I faded out or something. Every day it's just like…" the person paused, but Jinx didn't need to hear the rest. She knew in her heart what that person wanted to say next.

"It's just like no one understands." Jinx finished for the person and looked up. When she saw Matt's eyes, just as teary as hers, she couldn't help but notice that it had been so long she had forgotten what his voice sounded like. She'd forgotten the exact curvature of his jaw, and how his eyes were so easy to get lost in. Possibly, the blame wasn't all on him… she had been forgetting too.

Everything seemed to fall into place for Jinx. She could finally grasp what Matt was feeling. He didn't hate her. He wasn't even that scared of her. He was scared of what might happen. They had both been scared of the same thing all along.

"It's like you know me." Matt smiled a small smile and looked at Jinx. "I know it sounds odd, but it feels like I'm meeting you for the very first time… but also that I've known you for my entire life."

Jinx smirked, "Well, if we're meeting for the first time again… I'm Jinx –"

"Batteries not included." Matt interrupted. "I can't explain how I know that, but sometimes it's like I get these flashes. It's usually only a couple words, or a sound, or sometimes even a scent, but they always have something to do with you."

"I guess I'm pretty important then." Jinx smiled and they both turned to look at the wall again. She couldn't quite understand it herself, but she felt so happy just to be talking to Matt again.

Matt shifted beside her and she noticed him shifting his hands uncomfortably. They were bandaged still, and she remembered seeing them that way in the hospital. "Matt," she spoke quietly, "What happened to your hands?"

"They got burned pretty badly sometime when I was with Gladstone," he explained softly, "they're mostly healed now, but…"

"They're always incredibly cold?" Jinx finished for him, looking down at her own gloves.

"How did you know that?" Matt asked, glancing at her hands now too.

Jinx slowly removed her gloves to reveal bandages over her own hands. "When I was little, my mother was convinced that I was somehow the spawn of the devil." She felt weird having to explain it all over again to him, but she knew that she had to. Jinx grabbed the edge of one of her bandages and began to undo it. "She thought the only way to rid me of it was to burn my hands." Jinx took off her bandage to reveal a third-degree burn scar that wrapped all around her hand.

"You see," Jinx explained as she put on her bandages again, "burns prevent your skin from regulating temperature, blocking pathogens from entering your bloodstream, and from communicating with your nerve endings, so it's very important to keep your scars safe." She smiled and handed Matt her gloves. "Keep these ones; I've got more in my room."

Matt took the gloves and held them to his chest for a moment. He didn't quite know how to respond to Jinx. All he knew was that for the first time since he awoke, everything felt right for awhile. He had finally found his home at Wammy's again, and it was with Jinx. If he had any question about who he wanted to be before, it was gone now. He was certain that he wanted to be Jinx's friend, even if it was just for the time being. Any time spent with her was precious time to him. He sat still for a few moments, absorbed in his thoughts, until he noticed that she had gotten up and was starting to walk away.

"See you later, Matt!" She called back to him.

"Wait, Jinx," he called out to her, "can I see you tomorrow?" He asked, feeling stupid for sounding so childish.

Jinx looked back at him and smiled, "You can count on it, Matt."

Matt was more certain than ever; wherever Jinx was was where he was meant to be.

* * *

><p>"<em>Home, let me come home, home is wherever I'm with you," Home, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros<em>

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><p><em><strong>Sastars429 out.<strong>_


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